The Birmingham Fire Department recently received a grant to purchase secondary sets of turnout gear.
By: Mary Genson, Mary Beth Almond | Birmingham-Bloomfield Eagle | Published September 24, 2024
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP — The Bloomfield Township Fire Department is among 11 fire departments in southeast Michigan that will receive a portion of over $2 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The funding comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response programs.
Earlier this year, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters led passage of bipartisan legislation to extend these programs so local fire departments would have the resources to continue protecting their communities and responding effectively to emergencies.
The state’s firefighters and first responders, Peters said, are “an essential part of every Michigan community.”
“It’s imperative that they have the resources they need to keep themselves and Michiganders safe during an emergency,” Peters said in a statement. “That’s why I passed legislation to extend these critical grant programs so we can continue to invest in our local fire departments in the years to come.”
Firefighters, Sen. Debbi Stabenow said, put their lives on the line to protect the state’s families, homes and communities.
“These new resources will help keep the public safe and give our first responders the training and equipment they need to do their jobs more safely and effectively,” she said in a statement.
Of the over $2 million, the Bloomfield Township Fire Department was awarded $44,809 to improve its emergency response and protect public safety.
Bloomfield Township Fire Chief John LeRoy said the department is always happy to receive money from the federal government, which in this case, he said is a 90/10 grant, with 90% from the federal government and a 10% township match.
LeRoy said it is a continuation from the funding the department received last year for firefighter safety and wellness.
“The funding will be used for the continuation of another round of physicals for the firefighters,” he said. “Not only do we have to have a baseline from when we hire firefighters, the physicals need to be maintained because with the increased levels of cancer and the high demands of the job, the physicals are really a key component of trying to make sure that everybody is happy, healthy and safe — for not just now, but for years after they retire. Last year’s grants took care of a lot of abdominal ultrasounds and cardiac stress tests along with calcium screenings. This year’s will be mainly a standard type of physical, blood draws, things like that. We all have it through our health insurance too, but it just kind of ensures that everybody actually goes and does it,” said LeRoy.
Having the right gear is essential for the health and safety of firefighters. This is why the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity provided grants to fire departments across the state to purchase secondary sets of turnout gear.
Turnout gear is what firefighters wear when responding to a fire. It consists of protective coats, pants and boots.
The Birmingham Fire Department received $92,684 from LEO to purchase a secondary set of turnout gear for each firefighter. LEO awarded a total of $14,926,451 to 187 Michigan fire and safety agencies through the state budget.
Secondary sets of equipment are important because after a fire, the gear has to undergo a thorough cleaning process. This is because the toxins from fires are known to contain carcinogens, which are harmful to anyone exposed to them.
“The chemicals that are in the smoke are very cancerous, and firefighters have greater risk of getting cancer than the average person,” Birmingham Fire Chief Paul Wells said.
The cleaning and drying process can take days to complete, so it is important that the department has access to secondary sets in case they need them while the last set they used is being cleaned.
Additionally, turnout gear is only usable for 10 years until its protective barriers are broken down and it needs to be thrown out.
Wells said the Birmingham Fire Department was fortunate enough to have a second set of turnout gear.
“When me and Matt (Matthew Bartalino), the assistant fire chief, took over six years ago as chiefs, we started the process of having a second set of gear,” Wells said.
Since the LEO grant is a reimbursement grant, the Birmingham Fire Department plans to spend about $31,000 annually over the next three fiscal years on new turnout gear, for which they will be fully reimbursed.
Other nearby departments that received this grant are Southfield, Ferndale, Rochester, St. Clair Shores and more.