Collinsville Fire Department issued the following announcement on July 18.
The City of Collinsville received official notification today from the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal that the Collinsville Fire Department is a recipient of the 2018 Small Equipment Grant from the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Governor Bruce Rauner and State Fire Marshal Matthew Perez announced the award of $2.2 Million to approximately 100 fire departments across the state during a press conference held at the Collinsville Fire Department’s Fire Station 1. The $26,000 award to Collinsville will be used to purchase firefighter’s protective clothing for approximately 12 firefighters. This vital safety gear protects firefighters against thermal burns as well as gasses, vapors, and particulates found in smoke from modern furnishings and construction materials. These products of combustion are thought to cause cancer in firefighters at a rate higher than in the general population. Firefighter protective clothing has a useful life of about ten years and about half of the Collinsville Firefighters have protective clothing at least that old. Without the grant, budgetary restrictions would require the acquisition of the garments over a three year period. With the award, the department will replace the gear by the end of 2018.
To watch the press release visit: http://www.collinsvilleil.org/announcements/governor-rauners-press-conference-collinsville-fire-department
To see the press release from the State fire Marshal visit: https://www2.illinois.gov/IISNews/17935-OSFM_announces_$2.2_million_in_grants_for_fire_safety.pdf
More information about the Small Equipment Grant can be found here:
https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/sfm/Iam/FireDepartment/Grants-and-Loans/Pages/default.aspx
More details about firefighter cancer can be found here:
https://firefightercancersupport.org/
https://www.fsi.illinois.edu/newsDetail.cfm?news_id=171
Original source can be found here.
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