The Ramsey Fire Department was recently awarded a $74,000.00 grant from the “American Rescue Plan” firefighters Grant Program. This funding will go toward the purchase of upgraded personal protective equipment (PPE) and a machine designed for cleaning and disinfecting the “self contained breathing apparatus” (SCBA). This equipment will assist in the process of controlling the growing concern of the spread of cancer causing products of combustion and debris that collects on breathing apparatus during an incident. The SCBA would be placed in the machine along with the masks and air cylinder to be thoroughly washed and disinfected. This equipment will be installed along with the current washer and dryer for turnout gear, that was recently purchased via another grant awarded a few years ago.
The Ramsey FD is currently working to protect each member and their families from the risks of cancer and the spread of viruses such as COVID-19. Gone are the days of wearing dirty turnout gear after an incident. Each member is responsible for cleaning their gear and returning it back to service. This equipment will make this task much easier and will ensure it is cleaned and disinfected.
This equipment comes at a great cost that would normally fall on the taxpayers and these grants offer assistance in reducing the burden while allowing the FD to provide the best equipment for keeping everyone safe. Over the years, the RFD has received over $190,000.00 in grants that allowed the purchase of this much needed equipment with no cost to the taxpayers.
The RFD would like to thank Ramsey Ex-Chief Jonathan Krehel for his hard work in processing the large amount of paperwork to apply for these grants. This takes several months of work going through the process and following up on everything needed to get these awards.
The RFD is an all-volunteer service providing fire protection for the citizens and businesses of the Borough of Ramsey for 125 years, as well as providing Mutual Aid assistance in neighboring towns when needed. We welcome anyone, who would like to be part of this organization to visit the website and fill out an application provided on the front page. We also meet every Monday night for drills and meetings. Please feel free to stop by.