For Immediate Release
Charleston Fire Department Awarded Federal Grant
The City of Charleston was recently informed that the Charleston Fire Department was awarded a federal grant in the amount of $82,909 for the purchase of 12 new Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) to replace older ones for the Hazardous Materials Team and the Technical Rescue Team. The grant funds were part of the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. The AFG program is administered by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration.
The current SCBAs for the Hazardous Materials Team and the Technical Rescue Team are 15 years old. Some have already reached their end of life, while the remaining will reach their end of life near the end of the year.
The grant award of $82,909 covers 90% of the total estimate cost of ($91,200) to replace the SCBA. The City is responsible for the remaining 10% of the cost of the grant which will be approximately $8,290.
The City of Charleston is grateful for the award. The equipment will allow us to continue to provide respiratory protection for our firefighters when they respond to a Hazardous Materials or Technical Rescue incident.
