Viola fire department gets $13K
A $13,698 federal grant awarded recently to Viola Volunteer Fire Department will increase the safety of the organization’s operation by 150 percent, chief Kevin Lawrence said.
The money will be used to purchase updated communication equipment. The portable radios currently used by the department were purchased 15 years ago and are now obsolete, said Lawrence. Good portable radios, used by firemen inside burning buildings to communicate with those remaining outside, are essential to the safety and can sometimes be the difference between life and death.
“It’s easy for a fireman to get turned around in a smoke-filled building. It’s unfamiliar and he can’t see,” said Lawrence. “In this situation, portable radios can be a life saver. Also, if a building collapses a fireman can communicate that’s he’s alive and his location.”
The grant money was made available through the 2002 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, which is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
About 5,000 departments nationwide will receive a combined $360 million to support fire protection, EMS delivery, vehicle purchase and fire prevention. Over 19,000 fire departments applied for the grants this year.
While Viola Volunteer Fire Department has been awarded the grant, it will not receive the money and necessary paper work for another couple of weeks. Lawrence said the department ought to have the new radios before the end of next month.