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City fire department to receive grant
Published February 17, 2010
The city fire department will receive a $52,200 grant for training and gear, according to a news release from Sen. John Cornyn’s office.
“This funding will help make sure first responders at the Del Rio Fire and Rescue to have the resources necessary to keep the surrounding community safe,” said Cornyn in the release. “We have a responsibility to support those working on the front lines every day to protect families, homes and property.”
The funding can be used for training and support operations, and to purchase firefighter safety and rescue equipment. The grant is funded through the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration.
Deputy Fire Chief John Sheedy said this morning the money will be used to a replace an aging air compressor used to fill self contained breathing apparatuses, which firefighters rely on for air when fighting fires.
The department will also purchase thermal imaging cameras. Using these cameras firefighters can detect heat inside walls that might be invisible to the naked eye, and to locate people trapped in smoke-filled buildings.
“These cameras can pick up body heat, which allows firefighters to locate them quickly and bring them to safety,” explained Sheedy.
Last year the department received a separate DHS grant to help up manpower.
That grant, known as the Staffing for Adequate Fire Emergency Response, provided the city with nearly $1.3 million.
The money was used to fund the National Fire Protection Agency’s requirement that engine companies consist of four firefighters, which the agency considers the minimum safe response to a structure fire.
The city is required to match a portion of those funds, which will increase year-to-year from 10 percent the first year to 100 percent by the fifth year.
In December the Del Rio Fire and Rescue Department graduated 14 recruits from its training academy who all immediately went to work for the city.
Grants have also helped fund a new fire engine for Fire Station #4 near the Del Rio International Airport.
The engine cost $337,400, which was provided through an Office of Community Affairs grant, a subsidy of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development that provides funds to small, rural communities for public facilities and infrastructure needs though Community Development Block Grants.
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