Eads Fire Department Receives $53,000 Federal Grant

By Chris Sorensen

KCP Staff

July 25, 2003

Colorado Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness, announced Thursday that the Eads Volunteer Fire Department is one of 450 recipients in the seventh round of the 2003 Assistance to Firefighter Grant program. The grant award is one of only four made to Colorado agencies during this round of funding.

The department will receive $53,172, which will be used to purchase SCBA gear, tanks, and other safety equipment.

According to Janet Frederick of the Kiowa County Economic Development Foundation, who drafted the application on behalf of the department, the funds will be used to purchase 16 sets of low pressure SCBA units, 4 extra air cylinders, 13 sets of bunker gear, and 10 sets of boots. The total cost of equipment is $59,080, with the balance of the funds coming from local sources.

The Eads Volunteer Fire Department has 17 active members, but currently only has five sets of SCBA gear, which are outdated and intended for use in chemical fires, rather than the structure and prairie fires more common to this area. In addition, most of the department’s current bunker gear is over 10 years old, extremely worn, and ill-fitting. According to the grant application, the department was able to obtain three new sets of bunker gear last year, but a typical budget would only allow for the purchase of one set per year.

The Department of Homeland Security awarded nearly $27 million to 450 departments during the current round of funding. Colorado received $207,447 in funding, with the Eads Volunteer Fire Department receiving the second largest share of Colorado’s allocation.