The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has awarded Caroline County a $904,586 grant to buy new self-contained breathing apparatus for its fire and rescue workers.
SCBA is a device that provides breathable air to fire and rescue workers to us in a fire or other dangerous environment. The grant will provide most of the more than $1 million-plus needed to replace the county’s current SCBA inventory, which is nearing the end of its usefulness.
The grant requires the county to provide $90,358 in matching funds.
Caroline currently has 140 SCBA packs, 9 Rapid Intervention Team packs, 280 SCBA bottles and 250 SCBA masks. The county had planned to foot the entire cost of replacing the equipment through its capital improvement budget this fiscal year.