The Central Platte Fire District has been awarded a federal grant that will be used to replace some of the district’s equipment that does not meet the current minimum standard.
The fire district’s board of directors announced the district has received $186,175 from the FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. The grant funds will replace the self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) equipment that doesn’t meet current minimum National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards.
In addition to the replacement SCBA equipment, the funds will also cover the purchase of a quantitative fit tester. A “fit test” tests the seal between the respirator’s face piece and a firefighter’s face.
The board says the district’s firefighters have been using SCBA equipment that met the 2007 NFPA standard. With the grant funding, the district will bring its department up to the current 2019 NFPA standard and “to improve the health and life safety for our firefighters.”
The purpose of the fit tester is to ensure that all members are properly fitted with an SCBA mask that creates an adequate seal to ensure no contaminants or hazardous materials produced into the face piece.
In a news release, the fire board said it “would like to thank the residents and businesses within our district for their continued support to keep our firefighters safe and healthy.”
Members of the Central Platte board of directors are Mike Ashcraft, president; Steve McCullough, treasurer; and Aaron Jung.