South Fayette fire departments receive grant to buy new equipment
Two South Fayette fire departments recently received a grant that will help improve the safety of their firefighters.
Applying for the grant together, the South Fayette and Oak Ridge fire departments received $186,667 from the Homeland Security FEMA Assistance for Firefighters Grant program. The money will go toward purchasing 30 new self-contained breathing apparatus units, the air packs firefighters wear on their backs, and two rapid intervention packs, which provide a firefighter with air when he or she is in immediate danger.
South Fayette Capt. Ted Wolford, who crafted the grant proposal with Oak Ridge firefighter B.J. Supan, said the equipment being replaced is outdated. Supan said the grant money to replace the breathing units and a new rapid intervention pack, one for each department, increases the safety of firefighters in both South Fayette and Oak Ridge. He said the grant has allowed him and other firefighters to “breathe easier.”
“It will definitely mean our guys will be safer because we’ll have the newest technology in terms of the air packs,” Supan said. “We’re able to be a lot safer. Other firefighters can take care of us if one of our people goes down and we can assist other firefighters if they go down. It’s definitely big for safety, for us and for everyone else.”
In 2017, Oak Ridge, founded in 1956, has responded to more than 60 incidents, while South Fayette, founded 80 years ago, has responded to nearly 100.
The grant money comes at a crucial time for both volunteer fire departments.
For South Fayette, the grant means they will prevent getting a loan for the breathing units and entering into a debt.
“It is huge for us,” Wolford said. “We would have had to get a loan or do something of that sort and that would have put us basically into a debt that we would have to pay. It would also set us back on other equipment that is looking at being updated, such as a fire engine or rescue tools.”
For Oak Ridge, it means they can continue fixing their fire, which Supan said has begun to break down. Since the building is an emergency shelter, repairing it is vital to the fire department, and not having to pay for the breathing units will assist in the repair of the building.
Oak Ridge will receive about $80,000, while South Fayette will get more than $100,000.