The City of Staunton Fire & Rescue Department firefighting personnel will be using new, life-saving equipment recently purchased with a $300,000 grant from FEMA.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program, designed to help firefighters protect themselves and the health and safety of the public, is allowing the City to replace aging, self-contained breathing apparatus, which are nearly 15 years old.
The equipment helps firefighters to breathe safely in dangerous and life-threatening situations. The City provided a 10 percent match to the grant—or $30,000—and the total funds were used to help purchase 33 self-contained breathing apparatus.
“This grant has provided us a tremendous opportunity to modernize our life-saving equipment with minimal impact to the City’s budget,” said Fire Chief Scott Garber. “We make every effort to find efficient ways to improve our life-saving equipment, provide better services and create safer working environments for our staff. Each year, when new AFG opportunities are announced, we prioritize the needs of the fire department and focus our attention on critically needed equipment to safely respond to and mitigate emergencies.”
Training on the apparatus has been completed, and the units are ready for use beginning today.
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