HEBRON – Fire departments in Hebron and Eustis were awarded federal Department of Homeland Security grants to buy a specialized firetruck and air packs, respectively.
Car accidents, brush fires and more building in the backcountry spurred Hebron Fire Chief James Trundy to seek the federal grant to buy a new truck.
But not just any firetruck.
“We need a quick-attack forestry unit because of the rural nature of Hebron, and we have people building on roads that are not easily accessed by our larger vehicles,” Trundy said Wednesday night.
Additionally, he said, the volunteer fire department needed a multiuse vehicle because “the majority of our calls are accidents and brush fires.”
About three weeks ago, Trundy learned that Hebron was awarded a $111,438 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.
The money, coupled with a $12,380 match from the town, will allow Trundy to buy a new Ford F550 truck with an all-wheel-drive chassis. The truck comes with a 250-gallons-per-minute pump, a 400-gallon water tank and a FoamPro system.
Additionally, Trundy said, he intends to buy two air packs and some equipment for the new truck.
The Eustis Fire Department received a $37,080 grant for operations and firefighter safety. The town had to provide a $4,180 match, Administrative Assistant Kathy Fearon said Wednesday night.
Fearon said her husband, Fire Chief Rusty Fearon, is buying 10 Scott air packs with the money, and is to pick them up next week.
She said he applied for the grant to replace the department’s self-contained breathing apparatus air packs, which are between 10 and 20 years old.
The latest grant is the department’s second from the feds. Last year, she said, the department was awarded a grant to buy a new tanker truck.
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