Fire department secures sizeable grant

After several years of reaching for the FEMA Assistance to Firefighters (AFG) grant, the Moorcroft Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD) has been approved for funding in the amount of$148,229.05.

This is a 95/5% matching grant, requiring a $7,411.47 match. The department has a little over $6000 in their WYOSTAR account and will take the rest from their annual budget.

The money will be used for 16 new air-packs (the self-contained breathing apparatus). The current packs are approximately 20 years old and have reached their expiration date.

The MVFD applied for this grant in 2017, 2018, 2022 and, after hiring a grant application writer to review the application, were awarded the funding this year. MVFD Chief Jeff Holberg is pleased that the department received this assistance to enable the crew to employ this necessary safety measure.

MSA, the manufacturer of the air-packs used by the MVFD, helps departments that cannot readily purchase the packs, refreshing and repurposing parts of used packs for reuse at no cost to the departments. A program utilized by the MVFD as Holberg noted, "MSA has given us parts cabbaged from other departments when they upgraded."

MSA has asked for the old packs from MVFD now, giving Moorcroft an opportunity to pay it forward, "We're considering giving our old air-packs to MSA so they can continue to provide used parts to maintain that stuff that's out there."