In his 13 years with the Barren River Volunteer Fire Department, Stephen Grossl has seen growth both in activity and in the number of firefighters. What he hasn’t seen is much in the way of new equipment.
Until now.
Grossl, the Barren River VFD’s fire chief, learned last week that his fire department has been selected to receive an $88,627 Assistance to Firefighters grant through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency. The money will be used to purchase 14 new air tanks, called self-contained breathing apparatus, that Grossl says are sorely needed.
“When I first joined the department, we got the air packs we use now,” he said. “Most of the time with fire departments things go out of date after 10 years.”