On Friday, the Scott Fire Department received a grant of $105,000 to replace basic equipment essential to protecting their members.
The grant, from Assistance to Firefighters Grants, is awarded to departments in need of direct financial assistance to ensure firefighters and the public remain safe. The department submitted an application for the grant in December of 2017.
According to a release, the money will go towards replacing any and all “sub-standard, obsolete and non-compliant” bunker gear and basic equipment to reduce the risk of injury or death to firefighters with the SFD.
Fire officials say that last year on two occasions members were burned while battling fires due to older equipment. Chief Chad Sonnier says that recent hardships including the recent and proposed budget cuts prevented the department from purchasing all the necessary equipment.
Sonnier says the award will help firefighters perform primary search and rescue and interior attacks more easily, increasing the survival chances of trapped victims and minimizing property damage due to fires.
