Commissioners Fund Local Fire Department
ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Fire Departments get called to a wide variety of emergency scenarios that require technical training and specialized equipment.
The Muskingum County Commissioners presented an $11,000 check that will help the Falls Township Fire Department secure funding to advance their diving rescue operation.
“This particular funding started with us applying for the Straker Foundation Grant. And we’re really looking forward to working with them and hope to be awarded that. But they need a letter to show what we do within Muskingum County and how we support them. So we came to the commissioners, as they’ve previously shown support in assisting with our training of our dive and rescue team,” Falls Twp. Fire Department Captain Jacob Gates said.
The responsibilities for those specialized resources are often spread across multiple fire departments, which are contracted to respond to emergencies as mutual aid, to mitigate costs and reduce overhead.
“So our dive team started many years ago and then was kind of reinstated in 2013. All of our equipment is from that original startup. So we’re looking to upgrade. We’ve also increased in size. We have 10 public safety divers as well as 7 or 8 additional rescue swimmers that can operate in a swift water environment. So this equipment is to equip those divers so they can operate in that environment,” Gates said.
The Falls Township Fire Department is the only dive team that operates in Muskingum County and the commissioners presented a letter of support along with the $11,000 dollar check.
