09/23/2026
🚨 BIG NEWS FOR OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT! 🚨
We are extremely excited to announce that our department has been awarded an approximately $183,000 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG)!
This is much more than a grant for new equipment. This is an investment in the health, safety, and future of the firefighters who answer the call for our community.
Through this grant, our department will be able to purchase:
🧺 A new NFPA-compliant turnout gear washer and extractor
🔥 A new NFPA-compliant turnout gear dryer
🧑🚒 30 complete sets of new bunker gear, including:
• Helmet
• Hood
• Gloves
• Boots
• Pants
• Coat
🎒 30 new gear bags
WHY IS A TURNOUT GEAR WASHER SO IMPORTANT?
One of the most important parts of this grant is something that may seem simple to the public: properly cleaning our turnout gear.
When firefighters enter a structure fire, we are not only exposed to heat and smoke. Fires can produce hundreds of different chemicals. These contaminants can settle onto and become trapped in our protective clothing.
And the danger doesn't necessarily end when the fire is out.
Contaminants can remain on turnout gear and can transfer to a firefighter's skin, other equipment, the fire apparatus, the fire station, and even personal vehicles and homes. NIOSH has specifically identified contaminated gear as a potential source of continued exposure and notes that some of these contaminants have been linked to cancer and other negative health outcomes.
🎗️ FIREFIGHTER CANCER IS A REAL CONCERN
Cancer has become one of the most important long-term health concerns facing the fire service.
Firefighters can be exposed to cancer-causing substances through inhalation, ingestion, and skin absorption. That exposure doesn't necessarily stop once we leave the fireground. Contaminated PPE can continue exposing firefighters if it is not properly cleaned, removed, transported, and stored.
That is why the fire service has changed.
We know more today than we did years ago.
Years ago, coming back to the station with dirty turnout gear was often considered part of the job. Today, we understand that the soot and contaminants on that gear are not simply dirt—they can contain hazardous substances that we should be working to remove.
Properly cleaning turnout gear is one of the ways we can reduce unnecessary exposure.
Our new washer and extractor will give us the ability to properly clean contaminated PPE using equipment designed specifically for firefighter gear. Our new dryer will allow that gear to be properly dried while helping maintain the integrity and protective properties of the PPE.
🧑🚒 AND THEN THERE'S THE NEW GEAR
This grant will also provide 30 firefighters with new complete sets of bunker gear.
That means 30 firefighters will receive new helmets, hoods, gloves, boots, pants, and coats, along with individual gear bags.
New PPE isn't just about looking good or having the newest equipment.
Properly fitting, properly maintained protective equipment is a critical part of firefighter safety.
As firefighters, we willingly accept a certain amount of risk every time we answer a call. But there is no reason we should accept unnecessary exposure when there are things we can do to reduce it.
This grant helps us take another step toward doing exactly that.
🚒 WHAT THIS $183,000+ REALLY MEANS
To someone outside the fire service, this grant might look like:
🧺 A washer
🔥 A dryer
🧑🚒 30 sets of bunker gear
🎒 30 gear bags
But to us, it means:
Health.
Safety.
Readiness.
Protection.
And investing in the firefighters who protect our community.
We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to receive this funding. Grants like the AFG program allow departments to obtain critical equipment that can be difficult, and sometimes impossible, to purchase through normal operating budgets.
We are proud to put these funds toward equipment that will help protect our members not only during the fire, but also from the hazards that can follow us home from the fire.
Because the goal isn't simply to make sure our firefighters survive the call.
The goal is to make sure they come home healthy—and continue coming home for years to come.❤️🩹🚒
We want to thank everyone who has supported our department and continues to support the men and women who serve this community.
🇺🇸🚒 We are proud to serve. We are proud to invest in our firefighters. And we are proud to continue moving our department forward.
