Firemen are taught many skills that help them do a dangerous task as safely as possible. One skill we have never learned, however, is how to breathe hot, smoke-filled gasses without disastrous results.
Inventors have, over time, developed equipment that allows firemen to breathe clean air while working in a toxic atmosphere. I saw my first air pack as a rookie fireman in the early 1970s. The thing weighed about 100 pounds and made your lungs ache.
Over the course of my career, the air pack has become a rugged, yet very sophisticated, part of the equipment we wear for protection. They are very light, hold 4,500 pounds of air pressure, and allow the wearer to be tracked inside the burning building. The modern air pack has also become the single most expensive piece of equipment we wear.
The Andover Fire Department has 22 air packs in service. This is the right number of packs for a department of our size. We purchased them 14 years ago, and since then we have had them tested and maintained by certified technicians each year, as the law requires. They are not in bad shape for their age.
However, their age is a problem – a very big problem. We are not allowed to use them after they are 15 years old. This is an National Fire Protection Association requirement. To continue to use them will expose the Town to liability. The possibility of an incident because of an out-dated air pack is an unacceptable risk, as the consequence could result in injury, or worse, to a firefighter.
The cost to replace our air packs is about $160,000. That is a lot of money, no matter the size of the community. Adding $1,000 to the amount to be raised by taxes in Andover adds about $.80 to the tax bill of a typical $200,000 property. If the air packs were to be paid for on a single year’s tax bill, that could add about $128 to the tax bill of a $200,000 property.
Your firefighters wanted to do whatever we could to prevent this expense from getting to your tax bill. Last fall we hired a grant facilitator to help us navigate the federal process to write a grant request. Fire Captain Mark Perry headed up a team to write the grant. The $1,000 fee was paid by the members, and we were off.
We did not add up all the hours it took to write and submit the grant, but they were many. Then we waited … and waited … and waited some more.
The first round of grants was announced, and Andover Fire Department was not on the list. We made plans to meet with the Andover Budget Committee to include our hefty request in the next Town budget. This was not going to be fun.
On the last day of the grant season, my phone rang, and the caller ID said “Federal Government.” Oh, [bad word], what did I do this time?
The caller identified himself and said, “Congratulations, Chief, your department was awarded a $150,000 grant for air packs.” There were no more bad words; however, a load of bricks was lifted from my shoulders and the shoulders of your firefighters.
We will add to the grant another $10,000 of money that we have raised. We, your firefighters, are very pleased to tell you that no local tax dollars will be needed to replace our air packs. The people of Andover have always been there for us; now it’s our turn to support you.
We have had to respond to some very difficult calls this year. Our energy and strength comes from the team we are and the overwhelming support of our community. For all this, thank you.