Among health and safety concerns facing firefighters, hearing loss doesn’t readily come to mind – except among firefighters.
“It’s a big concern in the fire prevention business,” Pekin Fire Department Chief Kurt Nelson said Monday. Inside a racing fire engine with its siren blaring, “The noise is so loud you can’t hear yourself talk.”
A grant from the Illinois American Water Co. will help address that issue in Pekin, while similar grants to three nearby fire departments will provide upgrades to their members’ safety and equipment.