New Albany Fire Department grant to help provide safety equipment

The New Albany Fire Department received word this morning (August 10th) from Senator Cochran’s and Senator Wicker’s office that our 2016 Assistance to Fire Fighters Grant (AFG) grant application has been approved by FEMA. We should receive official word on Friday, but the Senators wanted to go ahead and convey the good news to us and the City of New Albany. The total grant was for 16 Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA)* at a total of $112,000. The federal share of the grant is $106,667 and our match is $5333. The fire department grant will be used to purchase 16 new SCBA with spare bottles and face pieces.

Each year our department responds to many different types of calls, having the interoperable SCBA will help to ensure firefighter safety in any situation. Our department is dedicated to protecting lives and property within our community. This fire department grant funding will help provide the necessary SCBA to protect our firefighters from potential hazards encountered each time we respond to emergency situations and when assisting our citizens in our daily operations.

*A self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) sometimes referred to as a compressed air breathing apparatus (CABA), or simply breathing apparatus (BA), is a device worn by rescue workers, firefighters, and others to provide breathable air in an immediately dangerous to life or health atmosphere. The term self-contained means that the breathing set is not dependent on a remote supply (e.g., through a long hose). An SCBA typically has three main components: a high-pressure tank (e.g., 2,216 to 5,500 psi), a pressure regulator, and an inhalation connection (mouthpiece, mouth mask or face mask), connected together and mounted to a carrying frame. (from Wikipedia)

Steve Coker