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The Onalaska Fire Department has received a grant for almost $40,000 to replace a failing breathing air compressor and filling station containment system.
“What this means is we will have quality breathing air for all our firefighters,” said Fire Chief Don Dominick. “The air in the tank on the firefighters’ back is going to be pure and free of contaminants.”
The $38,500 grant is from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Fire Administration. The city is responsible for a 5 percent share, or $1,975, which is already in the budget.
Dominick said the current unit is 12 years old and is in “dire need” of replacement. The department has had unbudgeted expenses for repairing the unit in the last two years.
The failing system has not only negatively affected the department in financial outlays for repairs, but also time and personnel availability.
“Often after a breakdown, we must load our SCBA bottles into a vehicle and take them to the La Crosse Fire Department for filling, as they are the only other department in the county with the capabilities to fill 4,500 psi bottles,” Dominick said.
Dominick also said the new compressor and containment fill system will not only make the city compliant with national NFPA Breathing Air Quality for Emergency Respiratory Protection standards, but will benefit all the fire departments in the county.
“We are centrally located within La Crosse County and our mutual aid protection area, making this equipment easily accessible to each of the seven fire departments we serve under mutual aid agreements,” Dominick said. “We would be able to safely provide large volumes of compressed air with the ability to regenerate air faster with this system, thus making the system extremely efficient and effective for any active fire or hazardous situation.”
The grant for the breathing air compressor and filling station comes on the heels of the OFD receiving a $62,000 FEMA grant in spring 2009 to bring all the radios current with new interoperability standards called Project 25.
Project 25 is designed to ensure fast and secure communications between local, state and federal agencies when protecting the public’s welfare. It is largely the result of lessons learned during the response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
With the grant, the OFD purchased 10 mobile radios, 25 portable radios, 25 remote speaker/mics, 22 pagers, five headsets for portable radios, two bank chargers for portable radios and 15 spare batteries for portable radios.
The department also received in September 2009 a grant from the Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance for four mobile narrow-band radios.
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