| Fire Department grant is breath of fresh air |
By: Kurt Hildebrandt
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Posted: Thursday, March 18, 2010 10:28 pm
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ST. PETER — An Assistance to Firefighter Grant will help the St. Peter Fire Department get in line with federal standards in regards to filling their air tanks, which is valuable tool for firefighters.
The grant for $36,291 will go toward buying a new oxygen filtration system and compressor which is vital in filling oxygen tanks used with the department’s self contained breathing apparatuses and used by firefighters at the scene.
The current system, which is a few decades old, doesn’t provide an important safety feature the new system will -- the ability to fill tanks in a contained environment which is less susceptible to accidents such as explosions.
“With small town departments facing tight budgets the way it is, getting this grant is a big help for us,” St. Peter Fire Chief Ron Quade said. “Our oxygen tanks are very important to us, and by purchasing this new system we will be able to bring it up to OSHA and Federal standards.
“Safety is an important part of our jobs, not just when we’re out fighting a fire but also here in the fire station as well.”
The total overall cost of the new system is $38,201 with the grant covering 95 percent of that cost while the city of St. Peter will provide matching funds for the rest of the cost.
“We haven’t purchased the new system yet as we’re in the process of writing up specs for the system and checking with other area fire departments to see what they have in place,” Quade said. “This is very good news for us and helps us provide a much-needed piece of equipment for our department.”
The primary goal of the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) is to meet the firefighting and emergency response needs of fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical service organizations.
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