Rocky River Fire Department receives $58,500 federal grant
A $58,500 federal grant awarded to the Rocky River Volunteer Fire Department last week will be used to replace the department’s aging pumper truck, chief Kurt Powers said.
The grant, announced through the office of U.S. Rep. Lincoln Davis, was made by the office of Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The Firefighting Vehicles Acquisition Program Grant is one of four programs supported through the Assistance to Firefighter Grants. This program makes possible the purchase of pumpers, brush trucks, tankers, rescue ambulances, quints, aerials, foam units and fireboats for fire departments across the nation.
The department’s current pumper, said Powers, is a 1966 model and, like those of many rural fire departments across the country, has not met National Fire Protection Association standards in a good many years.
“By replacing the ’66 model, which is inoperable, we’ll be able to really get the department going again. We’ve been going all along, but with inadequate equipment,” Powers said, who indicated the department will be buying a used truck.
With a pump-certified pumper, the department will be much more capable of handling fires in the Rocky River area, which doesn’t have a single fire hydrant. Acquiring hydrants, Powers said, will be the department’s next project.
The $58,500 grant is the first ever received by the department, which has 16 active members. Since it’s a matching grant, the department must contribute $6,500 to the pumper. Powers said the money was procured from community fund-raisers and the department’s allocation from the county.