Nearly $40K grant will help Carterville firefighters replace aging equipment
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Most members of the Carterville Volunteer Fire Department lack protective equipment that's still within its recommended service life.
Assistant Chief Steven Williams told Newstalk KZRG that just six to ten of the department's 26 volunteer firefighters currently have gear that's considered "in date".
The department recently received a nearly $40,000 grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation to purchase nine complete sets of firefighting gear.
Each set costs approximately $4,427 and includes protective clothing, helmets, gloves, hoods and boots.
The new equipment will replace aging gear, but the department may still face a shortage after the purchase.
Williams says keeping protective equipment current is a financial challenge for the entirely volunteer department.
"Gear's getting more expensive every year, fuel's getting more expensive, truck maintenance, building maintenance, all those things add up," Williams said.
He says the department must balance firefighter safety against the everyday expenses required to keep emergency services operating.
"It's not that we don't want to spend the money on gear to keep everybody safe. It's just we're trying to keep everything going operationally," Williams said.
