Federal grant to give four fire departments a boost
Published 3:00 pm Tuesday, September 28, 2021
- Firefighters with the La Grande and Union fire departments check for hot spots at a residential fire in Union on Aug. 24, 2021. The air packs and air tanks used by the La Grande and Union fire departments are new versions that the departments in Imbler, Elgin, La Grande and Joseph will be upgrading to after receiving a federal grant.
UNION COUNTY — Firefighters with four departments in Union and Wallowa counties soon will have extra breath and be lighter on their feet.
The Imbler Rural, Elgin Rural, La Grande Rural and Joseph fire departments have been awarded a $344,000 federal grant for the purchase of approximately 50 new air packs and 100 new air tanks.
The air packs and tanks will replace models that are becoming outdated. The tanks are made of lighter material and able to hold more oxygen, allowing firefighters to combat blazes for nearly twice as long as they do now.
Local firefighters with older tanks generally have 25 minutes of oxygen when fighting fires. The upgraded tanks will provide fighters with about 45 minutes of oxygen, Patterson said.
Patterson led the effort to get the “Assistance to Firefighters” grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The Elgin Rural, Imbler Rural, La Grande Rural and Joseph fire departments are selecting a company to buy the equipment from. The new packs and tanks will be compatible with the more modern ones most other fire departments in Union and Wallowa counties already have, allowing firefighters with different departments to borrow air tanks.
It will be at least two months before the fire departments have the new equipment.
