FROM: Jeff Tucker, Fire Chief DATE: December 21, 2006
For Immediate Release: North Pole, Alaska.
The North Star Volunteer Fire Department is very proud to announce that during 2006 it was successful in receiving several grants to help support the services we provide to the citizens of the North Star Fire Service Area.
In March 2006 the department received an $112,684.00 grant from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program – Fire Prevention and Safety Program to enhance our public education program. North Star was one of three organizations and the only fire department in the State of Alaska to receive funding this year from this grant program.
The grant provided funding to purchase a 39 ft. combination Sprinkler/Fire Safety House. The Fire Safety House will allow the department to travel to schools and other locations and provide dramatic fire safety lessons through the use of the state of the art Fire Safety training facility.
In addition to being able to provide Fire Safety education the House comes equipped with an optional package that simulates earthquakes and will allow the department to provide All Hazards training in a safe and accessible environment.
The other unique feature of the Fire Safety House is the Sprinkler demonstration room that will allow us to show homeowners a “live-fire” demonstration on how a small fire can escalate into a larger fire and how home sprinklers are an effective technology in providing fire protection before a fire spreads out of control.
The grant also provided for the purchase of training materials, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors that the department will provide to its residents, and training for the firefighters in the use of the Fire Safety House.
In June 2006 the department received equipment from the Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program (CEDAP). This federal program does not provide grants rather it transfers systems and devices directly to local agencies. North Star Volunteer Fire Department received the Geographical Information System (GIS) software package ArcGIS by ESRI. This software package will aid the department in emergency response planning for the service area. The department also received training on the use of the software from ESRI. The department was only one of three agencies in Alaska to receive support from this program.
The most recent grant was received in November 2006. The department received $106,257.00 from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program – Operations and Safety Program. North Star is currently one of only two fire departments in the State of Alaska to receive funding this year from this grant program.
This grant is to fund two programs. First it will allow the department to purchase thirty news sets of Firefighter Personal Protective Clothing. This includes firefighting coats, pants, gloves and boots. This new equipment will replace older non-serviceable Personal Protective Clothing.
The second portion of the grant will be funding a new department Health and Wellness program. This portion of the grant has two part the first is the wellness section which includes the training of two firefighters as Firefighter Fitness Trainers. This will allow them to provide training plans to all members of the department and allow them to meet the rigorous physical requirements of being a firefighter. The second portion will allow the department to begin offering physical examinations to the volunteer members of the department.
The North Star Volunteer Fire Department continues its long history of seeking grant funding to enhance and improve on the services it provides to the citizens and visitors of the North Star Fire Service Area.