The town budgets each year to replace old and worn gear.
FAYETTE – Fayette fire officials plan to buy personal protective equipment with a $29,038 federal grant.
Fayette Fire Department is one of many Maine departments to receive a grant from the 2003 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Fire Chief Ron McLallen said the money will be used to buy turnout gear, spare air bottles for self-contained breathing apparatus, flashlights, forestry helmets, flame retardant forestry shirts and pants and gloves for both forest and structure fires.
Additionally, there are plans to buy portable radios and fire pagers.
It will enable the department to upgrade some of the older equipment, McLallen said.
It adds up quickly, he said.
Spare air bottles go for $718 each, he said, and it cost about $1,500 for a turnout coat and pants.
McLallen said the high costs and limited resources of small communities like Fayette make keeping pace with the demands for safety and other basic fire equipment difficult.
“We regularly budget for replacement of old or worn gear and equipment, but keeping pace with the demands is a major challenge,” he said. “Award of this grant to the Fayette Fire Department will allow us to meet these demands now without placing additional financial demands on the limited resources of our community.”
McLallen credits the Board of Selectmen and the people of Fayette for their strong support for the department, but said he recognizes that the cost of providing fire protection services is a significant challenge.
“Bringing additional federal resources to help us meet these costs and ensure our firefighters are fully equipped and safe is welcome news indeed,” the chief said.
Comments are no longer available on this story