Though there has not been a fire for the Chillicothe Fire Department’s new air packs to be put to good use, the equipment is available when needed.
Though the Assistance to Firefighters Grants already was announced a few months ago by U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Peoria), the department recently received the air packs and the funds.
Since Schock was coming to town for his America Speaking Out forum, the firemen took the opportunity to formally thank him for the federal funds.
The fire department was one of 22,000 others applying for the grant, Myers told the audience Wednesday morning.
“As we all know, the economy dictates how we operate,” said Myers. If the grant had not been secured, Myers said he did not know how the department would have found the money.
The new air packs are a little lighter and have “a lot more bells and whistles” than what the department currently has, Myers said.
If a fireman should stop moving for 20 to 30 seconds, an external alarm sounds to let firemen know there is a problem.
Previously, firemen had that same alarm, but it was not built into the air packs. Myers said it was an add-on piece of equipment.
When firemen put on the face shield now, they see various gauges inside the mask, including their air pressure, instead of manually checking items.
The biggest change is the “buddy breathing,” which allows a fireman to connect into another fireman’s air. They both can continue wearing their masks.
Previously, one fireman would have to take off his mask for another fireman to use his air.
Additionally, the department now has two rescue packs, which include two one-hour tanks of air. Depending on the damage done to a fireman’s gear, the rescue packs can support a variety of functions, Myers said.
Previously, the department had 30-minute air packs, but the new air packs have 45 minutes.
Myers said he was especially proud of fire services in the past couple of years with its new safety mindset, citing all the money the department spends on training and equipment.
“There’s a whole different attitude now than there used to be,” said Myers.
AFG was established in 2001 and is a Federal Emergency Management Agency program.
Myers said Assistant Fire Chief Greg Hurd began the process for receiving the grant, which amounted to about three to four months of complicated work.
Hurd coordinated getting the answers to the many questions, and his wife, Maggie, assisted in transcribing the answers, which all were sent via computer.
