Volunteer fire department to buy SCBA with grant money

By Nanci G. Hutson
The News-Times

BROOKFIELD, Conn. — As in so many other places, community fire protection in this town is an all-volunteer proposition, with the fire companies covering much of the cost of their operations, including expensive, state-required equipment.

When local fire companies — this town has two stations — are granted funds to help defray costs, it's a cause for celebration, not only by the firefighters, but the community at large, officials said.

So it was with much enthusiasm that First Selectman Bill Davidson announced that Brookfield's fire companies will receive a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to buy 70 air packs to replace what fire officials had called outmoded equipment.

In addition, the stations will be able to purchase a tracking system that enables firefighters to find each other when dealing with a fire emergency, he said.

This was part of a regional grant filed with Waterwitch Hose Company No. 2 in New Milford after Brookfield was denied a similar application last year. The total grant award was $660,765 for a total purchase of 89 air packs and three tracking systems, one for each fire company.

The federal dollars are provided on a 90/10 percent basis. In this case, Davidson said, the selectmen have recommended a transfer of $14,000 from the current utility account as the town's portion, and the fire companies will cover the balance.

Had the town not received this grant, the full cost of the replacement air packs would have been a must for next year's operations budget, Davidson said. State and federal laws require that all fire equipment, including uniforms, be replaced regularly.

"During the past seven years, both fire companies, Brookfield and Candlewood, have received multiple FEMA grants that total nearly $1 million," Davidson said. "These FEMA grants are a direct savings to Brookfield taxpayers. They have supported the purchase of vital equipment that would otherwise have been included in the municipal budget."

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(c)2013 The News-Times (Danbury, Conn.)

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