Firefighters - Bond bill needs fix to help locally

TRAINING BOOST

By Mark Bliss ~ Southeast Missourian

GORDONVILLE, Mo. -- The region's rural fire departments would welcome more federal funding, but they aren't counting on it just yet.

Area volunteer firefighters say they aren't sure how much they'll benefit from U.S. Sen. Kit Bond's bill to pump more money into volunteer departments nationwide. Rural fire officials in Cape Girardeau, Perry and Bollinger counties told Bond on Wednesday they need manpower as well as money.

They were invited to the Gordonville fire station to meet with Bond, who is pushing his funding bill in travels around the state this week. About 30 attended, along with state representatives Patrick Naeger of Perryville, Peter Myers of Sikeston and Rob Mayer of Dexter.

Rural fire chiefs say their departments often must battle blazes with only a handful of firefighters because many of their volunteers can't leave their daytime jobs.

Garry Moore, fire chief of the Whitewater Fire Protection District, said only one of his 17 firefighters would be available for most daytime fires. "We would have to call in another department," Moore said.

Jim Bollinger, chief of the Marble Hill volunteer fire department, said many employers won't let employees' leave work to fight fires or participate in fire training programs. "If you get a call during the day, you're shorthanded," he said.

Among other things, Bond's measure would authorize the Federal Emergency Management to spend at least $100 million from existing funds on state fire and safety training programs nationwide to boost first responders' ability to handle nuclear, chemical, conventional or biological attacks.

Bond's bill would require 20 percent of the money to go to the nation's volunteer fire departments with annual budgets of $25,000 or less, a figure that rural fire officials said is too low to help them. Cape Girardeau's rural fire departments all operate on budgets of more than $25,000, Moore said.

Bond said he would consider revising his bill to include fire departments with budgets of up to $50,000.

The senator's measure also would:

Provide $160 million to the nation's 28 urban search-and-rescue teams and allow FEMA to add more.

Set up an office of national preparedness within FEMA to coordinate federal, state and local efforts to respond to terrorist acts.

Provide liability protection for those who donate fire equipment to volunteer fire departments and require state certification of such equipment.

Bond said many rural fire departments have little funding and must operate with old, patched-up equipment.

At the same time, volunteer firefighters must deal with everything from chemical spills to deadly methamphetamine labs.

The federal government needs to provide money for equipment as well as training, he said.

"We are providing about a dime for every dollar's worth of need that these departments have," Bond said.

Bond went to Piedmont, Mo., after his stop in Gordonville.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123