Grant May Provide Fitness Equipment for Firefighters
By David Blackburn, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.
Feb. 16–With most basic equipment in place, local fire officials want to see if a federal grant will let them buy physical fitness equipment to keep firefighters in shape to safely do their jobs.
An issue of firefighters developing heart problems while battling blazes has created a state and federal emphasis on fitness, Daviess County Fire Chief Brent Hayden said Monday.
“Heart attacks are one of the biggest killers in firefighting. It’s a strenuous job,” he said.
“That’s one of the things we’d like to be able to address,” said David McCrady, Owensboro Fire Department’s battalion chief in charge of training.
No decision has been made as to what the agency will apply for, he added.
Members of the city and county agencies plan to attend a Feb. 24 workshop here to learn about the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant.
“There’s some health and wellness equipment available” because of fitness concerns, said Bryant Stiles, division director of the Kentucky Fire Commission/State Fire Rescue Training.
The commission will host 10 workshops across the state with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which will distribute the grants.
The top priority of the grants “will always be base-level equipment” such as turnout gear, self-contained breathing gear, hoses and ladders, Stiles said.
City and county fire departments say various grants have taken care of basic needs.
“Trucks are already covered. All of the other equipment is all good,” said Hayden, who is considering applying for the grant.
The county’s two fire stations already have stair-climbing and weight-lifting machines and treadmills, he said.
“All this stuff is old,” including the 15-year-old stair-climbing equipment, Hayden said.
Some items were donated, while others were brought in by the firefighters, he said.
Past Assistance to Firefighters grants have helped the city fire department pay for turnout gear, thermal imaging cameras, a mobile fire safety trailer and portable radios, McCrady said.
The department has some equipment, such as treadmills and free weights, in each of its five stations, McGrady said.
“It’s where you can get a feel of what they’re looking to … prioritize,” he said of FEMA and the fire commission. The fire department then can plan its application accordingly, he said.
“We want to apply for what we feel is a high priority to them,” OFD Chief Ronnie Heep said.
“There’s some things we need for the department,” Heep said, citing a fire/rescue boat and emissions systems to pull diesel fumes from fire stations.
The grant also is open to emergency medical service organizations that are not affiliated with hospitals.
But Terry Dossett isn’t sure if Yellow Ambulance of Owensboro-Daviess County, for which he is director, is eligible because it is a private entity.
“If we are, a lot will be spent on communications,” said Dossett, who plans to determine Yellow Ambulance’s eligibility before going to the workshop.
Yellow Ambulance, which contracts with the city and county for ambulance service, can communicate with the county fire and police agencies, but not the city’s, he said. He was unsure how much compatibility would cost.
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To Attend
The Kentucky Fire Commission/State Fire Rescue Training will host 10 workshops to provide information about the Assistance to Firefighters Grant.
A workshop in Owensboro will be 6:30 p.m. Feb. 24 in the Executive Inn. For more information, call toll-free (888) 306-8015.
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Copyright (c) 2006, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.
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