Small town gets needed grants for fire department
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ORMSBY - With a necessary replacement of equipment upcoming, the Ormsby Fire Department needed to secure over $26,000. Thanks to securing a nationwide grant and help from local businesses and individuals, they have gotten the help they need.
The largest piece came from the State Farm Good Neighbor Firefighter Safety Program, done through the National Volunteer Fire Council, which granted Ormsby Fire $10,000. They were one of only five departments in Minnesota to receive a piece of this program, which gave to 150 fire departments nationwide. Ormsby Mayor and Emergency Medical Technician Justin Hansen said it is the first time they have received a grant of this size.
"Every once in a while we get a few small things here and there that are $2,000, something like that," he said. "To receive one of this size is a pretty big deal."
Secretary and grant writer Kristi Connell said the application window was only three days.
"I had done a bit of research to see when it opened and when it closed," she said. "I had been applying for previous grants; and honestly, with it being so limited, I didn't think we were actually going to receive this one."
Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) Containers need to be replaced every 15 years, according to the National Fire Protection Association and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Ormsby Fire Department had 26 containers they needed to replace, two for each of their 13 members, as they were due to reach the end of their lifespan.
"SCBA tanks supply the air that we breathe when we go into what’s considered a non-livable environment," Hansen said. "In a burning building you can’t breathe the air. Obviously it’s full of smoke and hot; it’s non-livable. The other thing to think about is carbon monoxide. When we go on carbon monoxide calls, we’re strapping up for these things too, because it’s an environment that’s considered non-sustainable for human life."
While they have been trying to work on this project for three years, Hansen said such a lump sum, given the standard operating budget for the fire department is $30,000-$50,000, was simply unaffordable for the small town.
"For the last few years, we’ve been scrambling and looking at where we are going to get these things and where we are going to get the funding for them," he said.
With this being an unavoidable expense, Hansen said without grant funding, they would have had to raise taxes. On top of the State Farm grant, Crystal Valley, Odell Wind Farm, Ag Performance, Hansen Manufacturing, and a large anonymous donor, among others, have been able to cover the whole cost.
Now that the funding has been taken care of, half of the tanks will be coming in the next couple of days, and the second half will be coming within the next 30 days or so. Because grant funding has been found, now sights can be set on other needs or important items for the city and its emergency services.
"There’s always one thing, and then that leads to another," Hansen said. "We’re a small town. We don’t have near the amount of equipment and upgraded technology we need for both; our EMS side of things, because we’re not just fire. We’re rural. We do everything. It opens up funding for the other things that we need to provide the quality of care that’s needed. Now I don’t have a $26,000 expense that we need to take care of; maybe we need to look at AEDs for different operations, or maybe it’s a defibrillator."
The Ormsby Fire Department and EMS services also have a non-profit to raise funds, which can be donated to at any time for those looking to support. For more information about Ormsby or donating, call Hansen at 507-236-6368.