Pictured is the new fire truck added to the Iberia Joint Fire District fleet.
Pictured are new air packs firefighters will carry when they’re on a call. Each air pack meets all current standards, something Iberia considered a must.
Part of the grant money was used to purchase 12,000 feet of new hose.
Submitted photos by Ryan Swank
The Iberia Joint Fire District recently received some tools to better serve citizens for the foreseeable future thanks to three grants.
“With today’s latest standards and safety equipment, it was something that we didn’t have an option; we had to figure out how to do it,” Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Swank told the Galion Inquirer. “Fortunately, the grants provided everything for us. It’s opened up a whole world to better serve our citizens.”
With the three grants received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the fire department was able to purchase some new equipment, including a new fire truck, new air packs, and 12,000 feet worth of water hose. Overall, approximately $600,000 in grants was spent on the new additions.
“The equipment will allow us to have equipment up to date on standards,” Swank said. “It allowed us to purchase a truck for multiple occasions. We will be able to use it in multiple ways.”
FEMA calculated the number of runs the department makes, the number of personnel, along with other calculations to decide on awarding grants. After evaluating those statistics, FEMA made the decision about what the department needed.
“These grants actually saved us about three to five years of saving every dime to even come up with that kind of money,” said Swank. “By getting this truck, we didn’t have to be on a payment plan, we didn’t have to finance it. It’s opened up a world of new opportunity for us.”
The truck features a larger cab that will allow them to do more now, such as stick a family in it on the scene if necessary due to weather. With the new truck, the department is replacing two trucks that date back about 30 years. In April, the truck and air packs arrived on location, while the hoses made their way to the firehouse in June.
“It actually allowed us to purchase a lot of equipment that we needed to make it just safer,” Swank added.
Firemen will take courses on the new air packs, as well as driving training with the truck. It’s the hoses that provide a nice boost for the department.
“We are going to replace all of our hose. It allowed us to get hoses that we never even had before, such as both 3-inch and 4-inch supply lines,” Swank explained. “With the way fires are burning today, we just couldn’t provide enough water to the scenes.”
In 2009, the department received a FEMA grant but it was its last until the recent grants were awarded. Overall, there has been about $700,000 received in grants in the last 15 years to help the small department.
“It will produce better service for our taxpayers. Grants of this nature are just few and far between, so we actually have gotten pretty lucky,” Swank said.
