Federal Grant Money Updates Local Firefighting Gear
October 22, 2020
"Jonathan Weeks"
The North Stone North- east Barry County Fire Protection District re- ceived good news in the form of federal grant money October 14. A sum of $55,473 will be used to purchase 5 new sets of" "turnout gear for the fire- fighters. Turnout gear, for those who are not famil- iar with the term, is the protective uniform worn by a firefighter to lower the odds of injury as he/ she enters their unstable and highly dangerous" "workplace. With prices for one helmet reaching as high as $700, boots that can cost more than $600 and jacket/pants combos amounting up to $2,000, it is easy to see why our firefighters needed this grant money." "The $55k came from one of the USDA Commu- nity Facilities “Economic Impact Initiative” grants. The grant program was founded to provide fund- ing to assist in the devel- opment of essential com- munity facilities in rural" "areas that often lack the public funds needed to make those large pur- chases in order to keep services like community fire departments up to code.
According to the press release, the new turnout gear will replace older sets that have either ex- pired past the National Fire Protection Associa- tion (NFPA) standard of 10 years or have been dam- aged. The gear will help protect this rural fire protection district’s fire- fighters when responding to calls and assisting more
than 6,000 rural Missouri-" "ans in the district’s area “Rural firefighters,
many of whom are vol- unteers, choose to serve their communities and protect their neigh- bors,” said Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Di- rector for Missouri, Jeff Case in the press release, “USDA partners with rural Missouri cities and fire protection districts, like North Stone Northeast Barry County Fire Protec- tion District, to in turn ensure our rural firefight-"
The North Stone North- east Barry County Fire Protection District re- ceived good news in the form of federal grant money October 14. A sum of $55,473 will be used to purchase 5 new sets of" "turnout gear for the fire- fighters. Turnout gear, for those who are not famil- iar with the term, is the protective uniform worn by a firefighter to lower the odds of injury as he/ she enters their unstable and highly dangerous" "workplace. With prices for one helmet reaching as high as $700, boots that can cost more than $600 and jacket/pants combos amounting up to $2,000, it is easy to see why our firefighters needed this grant money." "The $55k came from one of the USDA Commu- nity Facilities “Economic Impact Initiative” grants. The grant program was founded to provide fund- ing to assist in the devel- opment of essential com- munity facilities in rural" "areas that often lack the public funds needed to make those large pur- chases in order to keep services like community fire departments up to code.
According to the press release, the new turnout gear will replace older sets that have either ex- pired past the National Fire Protection Associa- tion (NFPA) standard of 10 years or have been dam- aged. The gear will help protect this rural fire protection district’s fire- fighters when responding to calls and assisting more
than 6,000 rural Missouri-" "ans in the district’s area “Rural firefighters,
many of whom are vol- unteers, choose to serve their communities and protect their neigh- bors,” said Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Di- rector for Missouri, Jeff Case in the press release, “USDA partners with rural Missouri cities and fire protection districts, like North Stone Northeast Barry County Fire Protec- tion District, to in turn ensure our rural firefight-"