JEFFERSON COUNTY — Two fire departments in Jefferson County were among 27 statewide to secure funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., announced the allocations that were part of FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program to support local fire departments and first responders.
Receiving funding were Citizens Fire Company in Charles Town, awarded $77,619.04, and Shepherdstown Fire Department, which received $264,438.09.
“Our dedicated local fire departments and first responders keep West Virginia communities safe,” Capito commented in a press release. “In order for these brave men and women to effectively do their job, they need the equipment and training to be best prepared for life-and-death situations. These resources will help provide them with the tools and expertise required to save lives, and I am proud to have helped secure this support.”
Zac Morgan, captain at Shepherdstown Fire Department, explained that the funds awarded to his department will be used to purchase 28 new self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), as well as 56 new SCBA cylinders, three new Fast Attack RIT packs and 34 SCBA masks.
While the grant funds will not cover the entire cost of this equipment, the department’s share is lowered to just over $13,000, Morgan said.
“The cylinders carry a 15-year life span, and our current ones expire in 2024,” Morgan said. “More importantly, the new packs will be more compatible those used by mutual aid companies.”
“Our current model is incompatible with more recent models,” added Shepherdstown EMS Chief Marshall DeMeritt.
The new models will allow, in the event of an emergency, two packs to be joined together to assist the person with the emergency to help remove them from a hazardous situation.
“These new SCBAs are also designed where we can remove all straps easily to clean them,” Morgan said. “This is a big improvement, as far as cancer prevention, because it better allows us to clean the packs after a fire.”
DeMeritt pointed out that volunteers worked to get all of the grant applications submitted and secure the funding.
“We are committed to bringing these federal funds into our community to help cover these costs. All of this was done at our own expense and time,” he said, pointing out benefits of the volunteer service in the county.
Ronald Fletcher, president at Citizens Fire Company, shared that the funds secured by his station will be used to purchase a new breathing air cascade system. The system compresses air to refill the self-contained breathing apparatus.
“Our current cascade system is over 32 years old,” Fletcher said.
The replacement system will allow for a rapid refill of tanks. The system fills large tanks, which can then fill the portable tanks to be used by the individual firefighters.
Fletcher indicated that Citizens has also applied for an additional $10,000 so that the majority of the cost for the department will be covered by grants. He went on to share that the company also needs funds for new turnout gear for its members.
“We’re taking in a lot of new members. Gear costs have gone up just like everything else,” he added, saying that jackets and pants cost approximately $6-7,000 per set, not including boots, gloves and other components of gear necessary for firefighting.
Fletcher shared that West Virginia has allocated an additional $12 million for volunteer firefighters. Six million of those funds is to be divided between 427 volunteer companies, while $3 million additional will go to counties that have a fire fee or levy in place, and the additional $3 million will go to counties based on population.
“The West Virginia State Firemen’s Association pushed for this funding,” Fletcher said, adding that it comes through county commissions for allocation. “We hope and will strongly suggest that the funding go to volunteer stations and not toward the county EMS system.”