FEMA grant money helps Gamaliel
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| 1250 GPM w/1000 Gal Water |
Local News - Saturday, May 22, 2004 FEMA grant money helps Gamaliel get fire engine By SHARON MILLER Bulletin Staff Writer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Using grant money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Gamaliel Volunteer Fire Department was able to purchase a 1992 Pierce Dash engine to update its fleet. The 90/10 grant included $85,500 from FEMA with Gamaliel VFD matching it $9,500. "I was very pleasantly surprised that we got the grant," said Gamaliel Chief Rob Griffith. "Vehicle grants are few and far between." Charlie Newton of the Office of Emergency Management said this was a very sizable grant, particularly for this size area. It is unusual for FEMA to award equipment grants for vehicles, he said. Newton said overall for Baxter County, the 2003 grant cycle, of which this grant was a part, was "the best we've had." At least five departments got grant money, including, Gamaliel, Norfork -- who got the largest grant -- Hand Cove, Grover Township and Clarkridge. He commended those who wrote the Gamaliel grant for providing proper information in the grant request to show the department's need for the truck. Tom Wolf, a member of the department's Board of Commissioners, gave credit to board members past and present who played an important role in the grant process. "It takes more than one or two people," he said. "We worked well together to accomplish this kind of task." In addition to covering its own district, the department provides automatic aid to the Bakersfield, Mo., area, including the school, and to areas south of Bakersfield, including the Henderson and Northeast Lakeside districts, Griffith said. He said plans for the future involve construction of a substation, and the engine the new one replaced would be used at the substation. The new engine has a 1,250 gallon per minute pumping engine and carries 1,000 gallons of water. It has 1,200 feet of 4-inch hose for water supply plus another 500 to 600 feet for structural fire attack. Wolf said a new engine like this one would cost $250,000 to $300,000. It is easier to drive and operate than the department's other engines, and it gives greater pumping capacity and better basis for structural firefighting, he said. Gamaliel purchased the engine from Deep South Trucking in Mississippi, and the truck came from New York, Wolf said. Griffith said the department's other engines are a 1974 Ford and a 1980 Penfab. He and Wolf expressed appreciation for the work Bob Grabowski did on the grant. They explained that the grant is all done on computer, and Grabowski, a past commissioner, did the computer work. This year, Gamaliel is applying for FEMA grant money to fund fire scene monitoring equipment that would alert firefighters to the presence of toxic gas and imaging equipment that would help them locate victims in a fire. sharonm@baxterbulletin.com Email this story Originally published Saturday, May 22, 2004
