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SIERRA VISTA — The Sierra Vista Fire Department will have new programs and equipment, thanks to some successful grant-writing.
The Arizona Department of Homeland Security gave the department about $46,000 in total for two programs. Five grants were awarded to the fire department this fall.
One will allow the department to train local citizens for a citizen emergency response team that can help assist the fire department in emergency situations. The program should begin within the year, Fire Chief Randy Redmond said.
“The other grant is to help us monitor and tag people in a major emergency, identify people that are supposed to be there and people that are not,” he said.
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Another grant for $1,600 will provide the department with 60 new reflective vests “to be worn by firefighters on the road so they can be seen at night,” which can be a particularly dangerous place for them to be, Redmond said.
The vests meet new national highway safety standards, which was a goal for the department.
“If we can keep our people safe on the highway, then they are available to help you,” Redmond said.
The grant was awarded by the 100 Club, a nonprofit organization that provides immediate assistance to the families of public safety officers or firefighters who are seriously injured or killed in the line of duty.
The department also was awarded two grants from the TMC Foundation in Tucson for car seats and helmets which will be given out to those who need them.
The Fire Department will be working with neighboring fire departments, Fort Huachuca and Fry Fire District, to get car seats out to more people in the community, he said.
A $25,000 award should fund the purchase of a couple of thousand car seats, Redmond said.
The department typically installs four to eight car seats a week, he said.
Another $10,000 from the TMC Foundation will support the department’s effort to increase helmet use among youth.
About 500 bike and skateboard helmets have been ordered and will be going out to kids in the community, Redmond said. The city also is working on a campaign increase helmet use.
The department works on getting grants year-round, Redmond said.
“We’ve been very fortunate to have partners around state. Especially at times when budgets may be close, these types of programs make the difference.”
Herald/Review reporter Laura Ory can be reached at 515-4683 or by e-mail at laura.ory@svherald.com.
