FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 3, 2016
Contact: Jason Bostic – FFII/PIO/CFSI
Tel: (740) 627-1664
jbostic@fredericktownfire.net
The Fredericktown Community Fire District recently was awarded $25,002.75 in funds from a Safety Intervention Grant from the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation for purchase of a stabilization strut system. The BWC grant request from the FCFD was for a total of $37,337.00, with the fire district kicking in the $8,334.25 matching funds coming from their budget.
“Seeking grants is a competitive process and difficult to attain, but it is an excellent source of funding for our district to provide for our firefighters and the community which we serve,” said FCFD Public Information Officer Jason Bostic. “We have been successful on many attempts and are fortunate to have been chosen for a project that will increase our safety and our level of operations.”
For not much more than the cost of a very basic and simple system the district, through this grant was able to purchase a much more elaborate system that is adaptive, expandable, and has few limits.
“This grant has so many benefits, especially from a safety perspective. Our previous stabilization tools we made ourselves due to budgetary restraints. It is great that we will be able to replace those with a system that is manufactured for specific needs and come with tested safety ratings,” said Fredericktown Community Fire District Chief Scott Mast.
Department members have long realized the need for such a system to be in place, but the cost of a quality system that can cover the needs of the district was cost prohibitive. Through research, training, and hands-on use, the district identified manufacturer Paratech as the preferred company of choice. Paratech has a significant history and is a leader in stabilization systems, lifting systems, support, and other areas of the fire/rescue industry.
“This expands our mission greatly beyond just simple stabilization, to lifting, trench rescue, high angle rescue, structural stabilization, and more. The system is expandable and we can build and grow from it. We will now have a vast array of ways to approach situations,” said Chief Mast.
This stabilization system however isn’t just available to the FCFD. Through mutual-aid, any department that would request us to respond would have access to equipment thus further making the donation more beneficial. A system of this size and configuration is something that you might find on a metro fire department rescue or on a specialized unit.
“Most departments have a small degree of stabilization devices that they can utilize, but usually on a minimal basis. Some scenarios might require us to call in 2-4 departments from out of the area, further delaying a rescue,” said Chief Mast. “We feel very fortunate that our project was chosen, a project of this size is something significant that we could not afford.”
Finley Fire Equipment of McConnelsville, Ohio was chosen as the vendor for the project, with the district working through Rescue Manager Dalan Zartman. Zartman is also President of the professional training company, Rescue Methods. Working together a solution was identified, and the post purchase training will also be provided to the fire district as a part of the purchase.
The Fredericktown Community Fire District operates from two stations within the 115 square mile district in northwest Knox County. Fire and rescue services are provided by a team of 25 firefighters with varying levels of experience from the basic 36-hour to the 240-hour professional firefighter certification.
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