Grant Lets Rural SD Departments Update Gear

Eight rural fire departments in the region are getting updated equipment thanks to an Assistance to Firefighters Grant.

The grant covered the purchase of more than $600,000 in self-contained breathing apparatus equipment — the masks and oxygen tanks worn by the firefighters when they respond to a call.

Aberdeen Rural Fire Chief Mark Stoks said 89 sets were purchased with anywhere from eight to 18 going to individual departments.

Equipment is going to the Aberdeen Rural, Groton, Frederick, Hecla, Columbia, Claremont, Stratford and Warner volunteer fire departments.

The grant covered 95 percent of the cost, he said. Local fire departments paid the balance.

Departments can refill the oxygen tanks, Stoks said, and the tanks must also be periodically inspected. The equipment should be replaced about every 15 years, he said.

With this updated equipment, Stoks said, departments all have the same gear, and it matches the gear used by Aberdeen Fire & Rescue. That makes sharing equipment easier when multiple departments are responding to an emergency.

Assistance to Firefighters Grants are administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

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