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| Keeping New Mexicans Safe... |
November 19, 2003 |
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New Mexico `Dragon Slayers` Receive Funding for New Equipment
Heather recently joined with a top Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) official to provide funding help to three New Mexico Fire Departments. FEMA Regional Director Gary Jones and Wilson presented ceremonial checks to the Albuquerque Fire Department, the Bernalillo County Fire Department, and the Estancia Fire Department.
"Our firefighters do an amazing job for us everyday," says Wilson. "While firefighting services are primarily a local and state responsibility, Congress this year doubled the Assistance to Firefighters funding designed to help local departments with equipment, training, and firefighter safety and health. Each of these departments represented here today make us proud, and will use this federal funding to improve their ability to serve us."
"This show of support is really important for our guys," says Tony Rodgers, a paramedic with the Bernalillo County Fire Department. "Congresswoman Wilson has always worked well with firefighters, and we appreciate her help and support."
"Our firefighters do an amazing job for us everyday."
--Congresswoman Heather Wilson
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Albuquerque Fire Department—$196,577
The Department will use the funding to retrofit their existing “Self Contained Breathing Apparatus”, or SCBA. The tanks and masks are essential gear worn by firefighters when entering toxic environments like a house or commercial fire. The SCBA, similar to underwater gear, provides air to firefighters so they can breathe while surrounded by smoke or other dangerous elements in the air. The federal funding Wilson and Jones announced today will be used to retrofit the Department’s 250 SCBA units with Universal Rapid Intervention (URI) connections and face masks with LED status lights.
 "This money will give us a much greater ability to monitor our firefighters in fires," says Fire Chief Robert Ortega. "This will be a tremendous step forward for safety, and will help us anytime we’re in a rescue situation. We’ve directed our federal money to the field, to our firefighters. Any time we can help the firefighter on the street do his or her job more safely, we enhance their ability to serve the citizens of Albuquerque. Congresswoman Wilson understands that, and we’ve always appreciated her support of the men and women of the Albuquerque Fire Department. We also appreciate the fact that Director Jones came to New Mexico to tour one of our stations and personally deliver this good news. It means a lot to us."
Bernalillo County Fire Department—$86,784
Bernalillo County Firefighters designed a wellness program to contribute to the health and well-being of the county’s firefighters. The program will provide physical fitness, with personalized wellness programs designed by firefighters certified as peer fitness trainers. Each of Bernalillo County’s ten stations will be outfitted with muscle resistance training machines, as well as treadmills and elliptical training machines.
"We’re not looking to create bodybuilders or Greek gods," says Rodgers, the firefighter who wrote the wellness plan, modeled on an existing program by national fire unions. "But keeping our firefighters in good physical condition should be a goal for any fire department. I’ve been involved in physical training almost all my life, and this is a good program that will help the men and women of our department stay healthy and fit. That’s good for the people we serve and protect everyday."
Estancia Fire Department—$70,560
This small, rural department relies on 21 volunteers who provide fire protection to the town of Estancia. The unpaid firefighters also provide back-up assistance to other area departments. The Department will use the federal funding for new equipment, like a large capacity water cannon, hose, a cascade system for refilling air bottles during fires, and additional air packs, including face masks, air regulators, and back-up air bottles.
"This is really a blessing for our department," says Mayor Martin Hibbs, who accepted the oversized check from Jones and Wilson on behalf of his town’s firefighters. "We’re on a limited budget, and this is equipment we really need to protect the citizens our volunteer firefighters are responsible for. They respond to calls all over the Estancia Valley and in the East Mountain area. When they’re needed, they go. This is equipment we’ve needed for a long time, but couldn’t afford until now. We appreciate Congresswoman Wilson’s support of the fire service in Estancia."
The Assistance to Firefighters Grant program awards one-year grants directly to local fire departments, enhancing their abilities to respond to fire and fire-related hazards in their communities. For the 2003 program, Congress appropriated $750 million in direct assistance in support of the nation`s firefighters and the services they deliver, a marked increase from the $360 million distributed last year. |
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