MONROE - Local firefighters will soon breath a little easier during emergency calls.
The City of Monroe Fire Department received $66,500 from a 2009 federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant.
The money will be used to purchase a portable breathing air compressor, according to Monroe Fire Chief Daryl Rausch.
"It will produce an endless supply of air," said Rausch.
The air compressor tank holds enough air to fill about 90 air packs, before needing to be turned on to recharge.
"At a normal house fire, we use about 40 air packs," Rausch said. "But I have been on calls where we've gone through 500."
The fire at the Badger State Ethanol Plant was one of those calls, he added. In January 2009, 65 firefighters from eight area fire departments struggled for eight hours in freezing temperatures to control fires in a drying unit.
The new air compressor will be on hand when firefighters, emergency medical technicians and other personnel from the surrounding area receive emergency response and industry safety training at the Monroe Emergency Response Inter-agency Training (MERIT) Center located in Monroe's North Business and Industrial Park.
The compressor is also a Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) resource, Rausch explained.
As a member of the response system, the Monroe Fire Department could provide an air supply at large fires in the region. Equipment, personnel or services are provided at no charge between members under MABAS.
The City of Monroe will contribute about $3,400 in matching funds as part of the grant. The matching grant money is already set aside in the Fire Department's capital account, Rausch said.
The $70,000 project includes a pickup to pull the 10,000-pound compressor and trailer.
Rausch said the new compressor would be in service by mid-year.
His only concern now is where the equipment can be stored, until a second fire station can be built. The present station downtown is full, he said.
The Assistance to Firefighters Grant program is administered by the National Preparedness Directorate and the United States Fire Administration, which are two components of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The AFG program is a component of a coordinated effort to strengthen the nation's overall level of preparedness and ability to respond to fire and fire-related hazards, and allow firefighters to get needed equipment and training they would otherwise be unable to afford. The grants support training, wellness and fitness, firefighting equipment, personal protective equipment and modifications to fire stations and facilities.
Wisconsin communities have submitted 656 applications requesting a total amount of over $90 million.
The City of Monroe Fire Department received $66,500 from a 2009 federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant.
The money will be used to purchase a portable breathing air compressor, according to Monroe Fire Chief Daryl Rausch.
"It will produce an endless supply of air," said Rausch.
The air compressor tank holds enough air to fill about 90 air packs, before needing to be turned on to recharge.
"At a normal house fire, we use about 40 air packs," Rausch said. "But I have been on calls where we've gone through 500."
The fire at the Badger State Ethanol Plant was one of those calls, he added. In January 2009, 65 firefighters from eight area fire departments struggled for eight hours in freezing temperatures to control fires in a drying unit.
The new air compressor will be on hand when firefighters, emergency medical technicians and other personnel from the surrounding area receive emergency response and industry safety training at the Monroe Emergency Response Inter-agency Training (MERIT) Center located in Monroe's North Business and Industrial Park.
The compressor is also a Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) resource, Rausch explained.
As a member of the response system, the Monroe Fire Department could provide an air supply at large fires in the region. Equipment, personnel or services are provided at no charge between members under MABAS.
The City of Monroe will contribute about $3,400 in matching funds as part of the grant. The matching grant money is already set aside in the Fire Department's capital account, Rausch said.
The $70,000 project includes a pickup to pull the 10,000-pound compressor and trailer.
Rausch said the new compressor would be in service by mid-year.
His only concern now is where the equipment can be stored, until a second fire station can be built. The present station downtown is full, he said.
The Assistance to Firefighters Grant program is administered by the National Preparedness Directorate and the United States Fire Administration, which are two components of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The AFG program is a component of a coordinated effort to strengthen the nation's overall level of preparedness and ability to respond to fire and fire-related hazards, and allow firefighters to get needed equipment and training they would otherwise be unable to afford. The grants support training, wellness and fitness, firefighting equipment, personal protective equipment and modifications to fire stations and facilities.
Wisconsin communities have submitted 656 applications requesting a total amount of over $90 million.