Gilmer County commissioners approved a grant and matching funds to buy $478,250 worth of breathing apparatus for the fire department.
“We’re always out there trying to figure out ways to offset the budget expenditures,” said Gilmer County Fire Chief Daniel Kauffman.
A FEMA assistance to firefighters grant covers $434,773 of the purchase, and the county matches with $43,477.
Commissioners approved the grant at a special called meeting on Dec. 5.
Fifty new self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) will be added to the 34 the county already owns. It will allow the department to maximize the availability on all trucks, ambulances and staff vehicles, Kauffman said.
“It gives you extended work time anywhere there is a suspect atmosphere,” Kauffman said.
The 50 new units match the 34 SCBA already in use at the department.
In addition to allowing firefighters to breathe in hostile environments, the units use Bluetooth to amplify the department’s radio signals.
“Voice amplification is a huge thing,” Kauffman said. “If someone is in distress, you want to hear that.”
The masks also have a heads up LED light display to let the wearer know if they have enough oxygen or if it is running low.
“You can always look within the mask and get a reading,” Kauffman said.
Delivery of the units is slated for the beginning of the year with three days of training.
In total, Gilmer Fire Department has received $675,000 in grants from FEMA. The initial grants were used for wellness physicals, cancer screenings, fitness and nutrition services and equipment.
In three different cycles, the department has received a total of $65,000 from the Georgia fireworks fund. As the name indicates, the grants come from firework fees.
In the next FEMA cycle, the department has applied for $440,000 in ambulance equipment, including self-loading stretchers.