On a mission to save lives, reduce injuries and protect property, volunteers at the Waterman Community Fire Protection District work tirelessly to serve the safety needs of Waterman residents.
To help with this mission, employees from Monsanto’s Waterman production site selected the WCFPD to receive a $10,000 grant from the Monsanto Fund’s 2015 site grant initiative. Representatives from the organization and the fund celebrated the grant with a check presentation July 30.
Funds from the grant will be used to purchase a self-contained breathing apparatus, or SCBA, for the front line trucks. The SCBA will allow volunteers to breathe easy in smoky or contaminated breathing environments.
“Our current SCBAs are outdated,” Fire Captain David Oest said in a news release. “With new technology in the face masks, we will be better equipped to aid our personnel in fire conditions.”
The WCFPD and Waterman site have worked together for the past eight years. The WCFPD has received other grants for air bags that lift heavy equipment and stabilize vehicles in crash situations and a multipurpose tool that helps extricate people from their cars in the case of a vehicle collision.
“I am very excited that the Waterman Fire Department is receiving this grant because its volunteers go above and beyond to ensure the safety of everyone in the community,” Troy Dukes, site lead, said in the release. “It’s a great feeling to be able to give back to them for all the support they provide to Waterman and the surrounding areas.”