Cape Fire receives grant for training, equipment

Cape Girardeau Fire Department received a federal grant that will allow them to receive specialized training and work more efficiently, chief Randy Morris Jr. said.

Cape Girardeau City Council members voted unanimously to accept the $68,460.90 grant from Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security, which will fund new gear dryers, automatic soap dispensers and specialized airport firefighter training for 12 people. Due to the size of Cape Girardeau, the grant requires around a 10% match from the city's funds, making the total $75,307 investment.

Since Cape Girardeau Regional Airport signed a contract with United for commuter flights from Cape Girardeau to Chicago three years ago, CGFD has been required to have firefighters on flight standby for potential airport emergency situations. This created some logistical issues for staffing and training structure firefighters to become airport firefighters.

Airport firefighting is similar to structural firefighting, but often with more hazards because of the number of flammable materials in an aircraft.

There are also different procedures for making sure passengers are safe, cut points on aircraft and other hazards including the engine and propellers, Morris said.

Overall the department has been meeting the minimum requirements set by the Federal Aviation Administration, but training has been lacking outside of the FAA's annual training.

The grant will allow CGFD to fund International Fire Service Accreditation Congress/ProBoard Airport certification for 12 firefighters through a 40-hour course.

"They'll be able to go out and gain that knowledge and experience and bring that back to the department," Morris said.

The 12 eventual trainees will volunteer for the training. Morris said they will be sent in shifts so as to not deplete the ranks while they are training. In total, the training will cost $20,340 or $42.38 per student per credit hour.

The chief said he is currently evaluating costs for the courses and only a limited number are available in the U.S. He hopes to have a plan set within the next 90 days, he said.

The remaining grant funds will be spent on three gear dryers and three automatic soap dispensers to help firefighters clean their equipment efficiently.

"The big thing is cancer prevention," Morris said.

Smoke from structural fires often contains dangerous carcinogens. Firefighters hose down at the scene with a fire hose and then deep clean and dry their gear to help protect the equipment, Morris said.

Currently, only one of the four stations in Cape Girardeau has a gear dryer. Firefighters not at Station 1 are forced to hang dry their fire suits, which takes around 12 hours. Morris said the department always requires firefighters to be wearing their primary gear -- each firefighter does have an older backup set -- and hang-drying times make that difficult.

Alternatively, buying another set of frontline gear for firefighters would cost about $3,800, and prices are expected to increase by the end of the year, Morris said.

Gear dryers get the job done in just four hours -- eight if the gear is particularly soaked, which Morris said is rare. The machines can also dry four suits at a time which will be an efficiency boost. Every station but Station 1 has one company of three firefighters at one time.

The automatic soap dispensers -- also only present at one station currently -- disperse soap and sometimes disinfectant at proper amounts to allow the department to be more efficient with cleaning.

"We didn't wish list items, we put in for stuff we need," Morris said. "It's going to make our operation more efficient."

It also has the added benefit of saving local tax dollars, Morris said.