By Nance Beston
Columbia Basin Herald
SOAP LAKE, Wash. — Grant County Fire District 7 received two U.S. Department of Homeland Security firefighter grants totaling almost $773,000. The department’s press release says that these grants are very competitive.
The first grant of $259,000 is for a self-contained breathing apparatus. These are the packs that firefighters wear on their backs that contain breaking air to ensure firefighters can breathe while they combat structure fires, vehicle fires and hazardous material incidents.
GCFD 7 was using a breathing apparatus in which parts were no longer available due to the age of the device and the manufacturer going out of business. In 2023, GCFD 7 put all their devices out of service due to safety concerns. Since then, the district the district has been borrowing devices from another fire department. The devices were still old, however in functionable condition.
The second grant was for almost $514,000 for a new pumper to replace a 1973 water tender which is a safety hazard for firefighters to operate. The funds will be used to purchase a new 3,000-gallon pumper equipped with a 1000 GPM pump capable of pumping and rolling. This will be the district’s first and only structure-rated pumper, the rest are small and used for wildland fires.
The addition of this pumper will ensure GCFD 7 can respond with the needed water to combat its fires within its jurisdiction and surrounding area as mutual aid partners in other jurisdictions.
The press release said this will also improve the Fire Districts Washington Survey and Ratings Board rating which will save tax-paying citizens money on their property insurance rates.
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