MARSHALL COUNTY – Many of Marshall County’s rural volunteer fire departments utilize Self Contained Breathing Apparatuses (SCBAs) that are 20 or more years old and are no longer up to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) regulations. They will soon be replaced, however, thanks to an Assistance for Firefighters grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) totaling around $663,000 to purchase 77 new units.

The grant will benefit the departments in Green Mountain, Gilman, Laurel, Haverhill, Ferguson, Albion, Liscomb, Clemons and Melbourne. Jacob Patterson, a professional firefighter with the Marshalltown Fire Department (MFD) who is also the Gilman fire chief, explained that it will get all of their Air-Paks up to compliance. Fire grants expert Ron Benedict worked on the application for the departments, and the departments themselves are contributing a total of $33,157.16 toward them.

“It’s huge. We wouldn’t be able to replace this gear without additional help,” Jason Smith of the Clemons Fire Department said.

Patterson added that all of the small departments are dealing with limited budgets, struggles to get their budgets increased and surging costs of equipment. An average Air-Pak SCBA now runs around $9,000, which would cost Gilman alone about $130,000 to replace.

“With all of the other operating expenses that we have just trying to keep the doors open on the station and the trucks running down the road and keep us safe… it’s hard to be able to fork up $10,000 let alone $100,000,” Patterson said.

Aaron Betts of Albion noted that with all of the other expenses and upkeep in the towns with limited resources, keeping up on firefighting equipment can be tough, but he’s thankful for the lift from the federal government. And all of the chiefs and assistant chiefs in attendance for a meeting Thursday agreed that they can always use more volunteers.

“I don’t think there’s a department in the nation that’s fully staffed right now and comfortable,” Patterson said.

According to Patterson, FEMA will grant the money as soon as they open back up, and the manufacturer will work with the departments on timing as long as the down payment is received.