Vermilion Fire Department gets sizable grant to outfit firefighters

VERMILION — Vermilion firefighters will soon receive new essential equipment, courtesy of a sizable grant. Word of the $321,600 grant was welcome news to Fire Chief Bill Brown, who said the money will purchase new air packs for the department. They don't come cheap — each ensemble costs approximately $10,720 each — and the grant means the department can purchase 30 new kits. The department applied for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant from the United States Fire Administration in 2022, but was turned down. The 2022 request was for $260,000, but costs have increased since then for the gear, which includes an air pack, two bottles of compressed air and a mask meant to be worn individually. The department applied for the grant again last year, while making plans to purchase three packs a year until the department could be replenished with updated gear. By 2023, the request was raised to $321,600 due to rising costs. Brown said he woke up to an email informing him the grant was approved — but he didn't believe it until he searched for the confirmation on the USFA website. "This is monumental, just a huge one," he said. The department currently has 35 air packs, but 86 percent of the stock is two cycles out-of-date, Brown said. While he said they are still safe to use, national firefighter guidelines have been updated twice, recommending upgraded technology for air packs. "It's not that the ones we have are unsafe, they're not, but they don't have the upgrades and newest technology. There are better products," Brown said. As an example, old air packs have a built-in alarm that warns firefighters when their air supply drops to 25 percent; new ones sound at 50 percent. "If you wait until you have 25 percent to go, you might not have enough time to get out of a fire," he said. "This lets you know 'I have just enough time to get back out the way I came in.' For firefighters, that's a big thing." New guidelines also call for lighter pack designs, causing less stress on firefighters, and a lower profile, allowing them to get into smaller spaces. The department has 23 firefighters that are paid per call. When a fire call goes out, all firefighters are notified via a pager and those who are available report for duty. Brown said the department averages eight to nine respondents per fire, and the department is always searching for new firefighters. The funds will cover the cost of 30 packs due to requirements of the grant, which require one air pack for each riding position in the firetrucks. Brown said the department would have spent about $25,000 yearly until 2033 to replace its outdated stock, but the grant allows the department to spend that money on more training, or maintenance needs. It required 5 percent matching funds, meaning the department will have to spend about $18,000. "This is going to keep Vermilion in good equipment for many years to come," he said. Contact Rini Jeffers at rinijeffers@gmail.com.