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Borough of Oakland Fire Department Awarded Assistance to Firefighters (AFG) Grant

Plans to Purchase New Air Packs
Posted on: September 11, 2020 - 11:57am
Oakland FD
Firehouse Company 1 - 25 Yawpo Avenue

The Oakland Fire Department has been awarded a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters (AFG) Grant in the amount of $210,476.19 for 34 self-contained breathing apparatus' (SCBA). 

This grant is from the United States Department of Homeland Security Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, which pays for firefighting safety equipment. 

"It was great news to hear Oakland Fire Department will be receiving a grant from the federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program", said Public Safety Chairman and Oakland Councilman Robert Knapp. "This money will allow for the Fire Department to purchase roughly 34 air packs, replacing packs as old as 30 years. These new packs will have a system called 'pak tracker' incorporated in them. This is essentially a GPS on the air pack that will allow firefighters to be tracked within a structure at all times. This will assist tremendously in locating and rescuing a trapped or downed firefighter. In a year that has not brought a lot of good news to anyone, this is certainly welcomed news for the Oakland Fire Department and the Borough of Oakland."

The AFG Program is extremely competitive, being open to fire departments in all 50 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and nonaffiliated EMS organizations and State Fire Training Academies. Applications are ranked based on its substance relative to the established funding priorities. The high scorers are evaluated by a panel of peers. 

"The SCBA Packs are the packs we wear when we're actually doing firefighting or when were in what's called an IDLH environment, which is an environment that presents immediate danger to life and health", Oakland Fire Chief Vincent Dies said, "So any time that we need to have fresh air, this is what we wear." 

The Oakland Fire Department's current packs date back as far as 30 years old, and they are out-of-date compared to current technology and other mutual aid departments. "They have newer SCBA systems and if we had to work with them, they wouldn't be compatible with each other, which could be dangerous for first response" said Oakland Fire Chief Vincent Dies. Air Packs

Additionally, the age of the packs makes maintenance on them much harder, such as when parts that are no longer being produced break. "Then you're buying a whole new pack, and when that happens, you're not compatible with other packs", said Dies. 

Our volunteer firefighters and first responders stand ready to serve us the moment disaster strikes", said Oakland Mayor Linda H. Schwager. "This funding will ensure the Oakland Fire Department has the equipment necessary to keep our firefighters safe, while responding quickly to emergencies and keeping families out of harm's way."