Decatur Fire Co. buys gear with grant
$12,101.36 to go toward equipment upgrades, past debts
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McCLURE --New gear continues to roll into the firehouse for the Decatur Fire Co.
Chief Mark Wolfgang said the fire company will be purchasing two complete new sets of fire gear for the station.
"The replacement is part of our plan," he said.
Every year, the company looks over the personal protection equipment, which is the gear the firefighters wear when on the scene of an accident or fire. This PPE includes a set of bunker pants, a coat, special hood, boots, helmet and gloves. The gear is specially equipped to withstand the extreme conditions a firefighter can be put through on a call.
"If there is something wrong with the gear or it is outdated, then it can be a liability on the firefighter," Wolfgang said.
Wolfgang said the protection of the firefighters at the station is his number one priority. He said the National Fire Protection Agency has a standard in which PPE is only good for 10 years and then it should be replaced.
"The two sets of gear we are replacing is reaching its 10-year mark," Wolfgang said. "We would rather be safe than sorry and replace it."
To purchase one set of PPE, it will cost the company between $2,400 and $2,500. For two sets, it will cost approximately $7,000.
The company was awarded a total of $12,101.36 for upkeep through a grant program.
The grant program was created by the legislature and is administered by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the Office of the State Fire Commissioner.
"This is money we don't have to raise," Wolfgang said. "That is free money we are getting that isn't a tax burden on our residents."
The company applies for the grant every year and Wolfgang said if the company has all of the proper paperwork submitted, then they receive the grant money.
"We have received the same amount in grant money for the past several years," he said.
The grant can be used in a variety of ways including construction or renovation of a fire or ambulance company facility, purchase or repair of equipment and training or reduction of existing debt.
Wolfgang said the company focuses on the purchase of PPE because it is what keeps the firefighters safe and is used so frequently.
"They are required to wear their PPE all the time, on all calls no matter what," he said. "This is what protects us."
He explained the rest of the grant money, approximately $4,000 will be spent on debt reduction for the company.
"We were in a bad place several years ago but we have gotten to a better place," Wolfgang said. "The money we can put toward debt reduction has helped us."