German Township Volunteer Fire Department in Taylorsville is using two grants to increase the amount of life-saving equipment it has to use for emergency situations.
The department applied in 2015 and this year for grant funding from the Indiana Homeland Security Foundation. The money for the grants comes from revenue produced from the “Secure Indiana” license plates sales.
Local public safety organizations from across Indiana can apply each year for grants for needs such as equipment for emergency responders, personal protective equipment and training. The maximum grant a department can apply for is $4,000.
Last year the department was awarded $3,364 to purchase automatic external defibrillators (AEDs), which are used when someone suffers cardiac arrest and their heart stops beating. The funds to buy the two defibrillators were delayed by the state, and they were only purchased and placed on department apparatus in July.
“German Township Fire already has three AEDs, however by adding two more this allows us to have one of the lifesaving devices in each of our apparatus. Approximately 75 percent of the 630 runs we respond to each year are EMS related,” Deputy Chief Matt Lynch said.
The department also purchased two AED training models, which are used during CPR classes, with the grant.
This year the department applied for and was awarded a $4,000 grant. Later this year the department will receive the money and will buy two sets of firefighter protective equipment.
“This grant will allow us to buy two complete sets of turnout gear, which will enable us to hire two more volunteers to serve the community,” Lynch said.
Due to federal regulations, each set of turn out gear must be retired 10 years after the date of manufacture.
