The Quitman Volunteer Fire Department has been awarded a grant for equipment purchase under the Assistance to Firefighter’s Grant Program administered by the Department of Homeland Security. The $50,678 grant will be used to purchase equipment specifically intended to protect the lives of firefighters and enhance their ability to stay engaged in the firefighting effort during an incident. Fire / Safety Administrator Gary Simpkins said, “This grant means we can get the equipment we need to make the job safer for our folks and get the job done.”

The equipment to be purchased includes: a new forced air compressor for filling tanks, new filling tanks, a Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) pack, and an accountability tracker system. The current compressor used by the Fire Department is nearly 15 years old and was due to be upgraded. Also, the new tanks will be able to hold 5,000 PSI compared to the current tanks which can only hold 3,500 PSI. “This new compressor will fill our tanks quicker and more pressure in the tanks means more air for longer use. That means less lost time getting air filled.” Simpkins said.

The RIT pack is a 1-hour rescue air pack to provide assistance to firefighters who run out of air or have an equipment malfunction while in a fire. The accountability tracker is a transmitter / receiver system that displays the location of individual firefighters on the scene via GPS. “This is all about protecting our firefighters. We are making sure they can go home after a fire and not to the hospital, or worse. With this equipment we will know exactly where our folks are and can get to them quicker if there is a problem during a fire.” Simpkins said.

The grant is a 5% matching program, which means the City will provide $2,667 toward the purchase and the grant will provide $50,678. City Secretary/Administrator Mike Hall said, “This is a tremendous leveraging of our financial resources. For every $1 we are putting in, we’re getting back $20. This is how we make the most of our local citizens’ money.” This is one of several recent grants awarded to the City, including about $20,000 for Police Department in-car computers through the Justice Assistance Grant program and $25,000 from the East Texas Council of Governments toward the replacement of the brush / chipper truck under a Solid Waste Grant program.

“We are aggressively pursing several more large grant packages to meet our needs and maximize the resources of the community,” Hall said, “This is our money we all paid to the federal government and we are going to get every cent we can back into our community.”