$76K Grant to Help Grosse Pointe Park Buy Fire Equipment

Grosse Pointe Park will receive new self-contained breathing apparatus with the help of a grant from Homeland Security that will update the equipment by about 25 years.

Director of Public Safety David Hiller said this week the current tanks owned by the department are nearly 25 years old. Though they are working now they are not repairable, he said.

The grant, which is for $76,116, will pay for 11 tanks and the department only needs 13. In accepting the grant, the city agrees to pay a 5 percent co-pay, Hiller said. 

He wishes to tack on the cost of the two additional units to the 5 percent co-pay, which he estimates will mean the city will obtain 13 new self-contained breathing apparatus for about $15,000. The total value of the new tanks is about $90,000, Hiller said.

The department is "very fortunate" to have been selected as a recipient of the grant, Hiller said, explaining it was rejected last year.

In addition to updating the Park's aging equipment, the new self-contained breathing apparatus will be compatible with the others Grosse Pointes and Harper Woods due to the joint fire committee.

What this means is that the public safety officers can switch out the canisters as needed from any of the departments rather than only looking for their own. Hiller said the ability to having interchangable tanks is helpful at the scene of a fire.

It will allow the firefighters to switch out tanks as necessary without taking a significant amount of time to find compatible tanks. At an active fire, that time is valuable and could make a difference.

Hiller said the grant is the result of the research and application by Lt. James Hoshaw, whom he complimented for the work and effort.

The new equipment is expected to last another 25 years or longer, Hiller said, explaining how the newer technology is likely to extend the life of the equipment even more.