The Jackson County Board of Commissioners approved funding requests from volunteer fire departments to purchase equipment vital to the work of fire and rescue. At the Feb. 21 regular meeting, commissioners voted unanimously to approve county grant requests from Balsam, Qualla, Canada and Savannah VFDs. Each department presented requests to the board at the Feb. 14 work session. The grants are the county’s portion of the N.C. Volunteer Fire Grant administered by the Department of Insurance. It is a 50/50 matching grant allowing departments to make requests up to $60,000 with the county providing half up to $30,000 per department. The subsidy may only be applied to the purchase of fire protection equipment used in each station’s district. Balsam Fire Chief Brian McMahan requested $59,600 to cover the cost of upgrading communications equipment. He pulled out his beat-up, aged radio as an example for commissioners.
“These are our primary form of communication,” McMahan said. “I carry this radio 24 hours a day. It’s either on my nightstand, or it’s on my belt. For the last 11 years, this radio has been on night and day.”
Much of the equipment is well past its suggested lifespan, typically 10 years, and some of it is no longer in production meaning replacement parts would not be available even if the equipment met current safety standards. The request covers the cost of two base radios for the station, 11 vehicle-mounted radios, eight viper radios and 22 handheld UHF radios with extra batteries. The county’s portion of the grant would come to $29,800.
Qualla Fire is hoping to replace self-contained breathing apparatus that is approaching its expiration date. SCBAs are the air packs firefighters wear. “I’d have to say other than turnout gear, this is probably the most important piece of equipment we have,” said Trevor Sutton QVFD captain. “It keeps us from breathing all those nasty carcinogens, the cancer-causing agents that you’re going to breathe in.” Qualla’s current packs are nearly out of date, meeting 2007 National Fire Protection Association standards. Most SCBA units have a 15-year lifespan.
NFPA has upgraded standards twice since 2007, Sutton said.
Qualla will use grant money to replace six units at a cost of approximately $67,269 leaving the department to cover $7,269. QVFD will also purchase two additional SCBAs at approximately $22,423 to be paid by the department.
Canada Fire wants to replace 13 sets of turnout gear at a cost of $60,977, or $4,691 each, leaving the department to cover $977 of the cost after grants.
Turnout gear is the protective suit firefighters don to battle fires. A full suit consists of fire-resistant boots, a helmet and protective hood, coat, pants and gloves.
Savannah Fire Department requested $59,891 for an assortment of items including radios and chargers, a saw to cut glass in wrecked vehicles, water extinguishers, biodegradable foam retardant, and forestry fire hose and nozzles for fighting brush fires, five sets of turn-out gear, a gas monitor and RIT packs or emergency air supply.
SVFD also wants to buy 20 rechargeable batteries for its air packs.
“They take C cell batteries and about every three weeks we are replacing the batteries, so it’s getting expensive,” said Chief Floyd Green.
The batteries power the air pack alarms that indicate how much air is left in a pack.
Grant applications are due March 1, and departments will be notified by May 15 if they have been awarded funds. Departments awarded money have until September to expend funds and submit to NCDOI for reimbursement.
