Fire Department Receives Grant

SOUTH ZANESVILLE, Ohio – A local Fire Department was accepted for a grant to help purchase new equipment for fires and training.

Newton Township Fire Department received the Assistance to Firefighters Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (F.E.M.A.). According to Fire Chief Allen Deaver the grant was for $300,000 and the department pays 5% for new equipment especially the new Forcible Entry Trainer Door.

Photo By: Quay DeVoll

“This door will probably last at least 50 years, at least,” said Chief Deaver. “I mean it is built like a tank. The door it’s self weighs 2,000 pounds. This is going to teach the guys how to rapidly get through a door into a structure. If somebody is in there, the faster we can get in, the faster we can get to the fire, the better the outcome is going to be.”

The current and future members can then use the Forcible Entry Trainer Door to practice cutting, punching, and breaking in a commercial door and residential door. The rest of the gear will be for fires.

Photo By: Quay DeVoll

“The turnout gear is going to protect our guys in that environment,” Chief Deaver said. “Thermal Imaging Cameras will allow them to see through the smoke, see the heat, find the fire, find the victim much quicker. The Rapid Intervention Paks we hope just sits on the truck. That’s designed that if a fire fighter gets trapped, we can get them air. So that’s a worse case scenario, and something that we try to avoid.

Newton Township Fire Department has new Air Packs, R.I.T. Paks, and Thermal Imaging Cameras. The grant has also helped provide Turnout Gear such as new boots, pants, coats, masks, and helmets.

Photo By: Quay DeVoll

“Through the same grant we were able to replace 15 sets of our turnout gear,” Chief Deaver said. “Turnout gear is supposed to be used for only 10 years, according to National Fire Academy (N.F.A.) standards. Some of our gear was over that, so because of the grant we were able to bring everybody up. That gear will be good for another 10 years.

Deaver said the FEMA grant has helped them save funds so they may keep fire fighters on staff and the station open 24/7 for the local neighborhood.