ALBRIGHT — The Albright Volunteer Fire Department has received a $126,666.67 grant.
The money, through FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program was recently announced by U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin.
According to a news release, the AFG program received additional funding through the CARES Act, and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program.
Albright VFD Chief Owen Evans said funds from the grant will be used to purchase 19 self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBA).
He said the equipment provides breathable air in atmospheres that are immediately dangerous to life or health, such as fires and hazardous materials situations.
Evans said the fire department has SCBA equipment but it is 15 to 17 years old. He said the life of an apparatus is considered to be 15 years.
“This was the third year we applied for the grant,” he said. “We were getting concerned that we might have to take out a loan to replace our gear.”
Evans said the applications he submitted for the grant were consecutive. Each year it showed the SCBA equipment was getting closer to the end of its life.
“We took good care of our SCBA equipment,” he said. That is why it lasted so long. We changed out the batteries every six months and every three years we sent the composite bottles out and had them hydro tested.”
Evans said the grant amount for the 19 devices was determined by the number of fire trucks the VFD has and how many volunteers are assigned to each truck.
He said the grant will cover the cost of the self-contained breathing apparatuses, face pieces, composite bottles and additional spare composite bottles.
The spare bottles allow firefighters to switch out if they are running low on breathable air during a fire or a HASMAT emergency.
In the news release both senators praised West Virginia’s firefighters.
“Our firefighters play incredibly important roles in our communities and put themselves in harm’s way to protect West Virginians each and every day,” Capito said. “As we negotiated COVID-19 relief efforts, I made sure that additional provisions for our firefighters were included.”
“Our brave firefighters run into danger to protect us when we are in harm’s way. We owe it to them to ensure they have everything they need to do their jobs safely. Today’s grant will equip the stations to purchase new vehicles, recruit and train additional firefighters and ensure the West Virginia fire departments are able to continue their important operations,” Manchin said.
Evans said the Albright VFD has to match 5% of the grant — about $6,000.
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