State grant helps buy firefighting gear

MACOMB TOWNSHIP — When the heat is on, it pays to keep cool, especially when the heat is an inferno.

Full-time firefighters of the Macomb Township Fire Department will stay safe and comfortable against any conflagration thanks to a grant for turnout gear from the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.

“We’re excited that we were able to save taxpayers money by being awarded the grant, which we can put back into our operations to continue to provide services,” said Adam Munro, deputy chief of the Macomb Township Fire Department.

The Fire Department keeps inventory for full-time firefighter turnout gear on a 10-year rotation. Gear is purchased and used for five years and is then kept as a backup for five more years before it needs to be replaced. Equipping full-time firefighters with new turnout gear costs $5,800 per firefighter or $168,200 for all 29 township firefighters.

“We had 29 that met the requirement, and we submitted for those 29 sets of turnout gear and were awarded $3,500 a piece for the total of $101,500,” Macomb Township Fire Chief Robert Phillips said.

Boots, pants and jackets purchased from the grant are made from more breathable materials than prior versions of turnout gear. This will allow firefighters to perform better in different ambient weather conditions while still having enough protection from fires.

“Yesterday was almost 88, 90 (degrees) outside,” Munro said. “The temperature right now is about 67 (degrees). If you take the two extremes of those, the gear is based on the amount of protection you get from the thermal insulation from the fires as well as how much you’re able to release through the gear. As you get into different climates as you have over the last two days, it makes it a lot easier for the firefighter to be able to function while still keeping them protected going from one extreme to another.”

Development in turnout gear technology continues as Joe Longo, a firefighter on the gear procurement committee, says major manufacturers are now offering PFAS-free gear. PFAS are a collection of chemicals used in a variety of products as a heat and water suppressant. They have come under fire because they do not degrade in natural environments and are carcinogenic. PFAS-free turnout gear has only recently made it to market. Longo expects the department will purchase PFAS-free gear when available going forward.

Money saved though the grant is put back into the fire improvement budget and used to purchase other equipment.