Bemidji Fire Department Awarded with Grant For Firefighting Equipment

The Bemidji Fire Department has been awarded a $321,527 Assistance to Firefighter Grant (AFG) from the United States Department of Homeland Security/FEMA. This grant is for the purchase of Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), which provides respiratory protection to the Bemidji firefighters.

Futurefirefighters.org had this to say about how important Self Contained Breathing Apparatus’ are for a firefighters with the following information:

One of the greatest innovations in the fire service is the Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), which is a critical component in the personal protective equipment (PPE) used by today’s firefighters. This equipment is essential for allowing firefighters to operate in hostile fire environments.

In a human body, the respiratory system is both the biggest system and the easiest to compromise. One toxic breath can make the difference between life and death.

Firefighters cannot always see the contaminants that are present within a hostile environment. This is why firefighters must always wear an SCBA whenever they are in any kind of environment immediately dangerous to life and health.

Out of everything that firefighters wear, SCBA provides the highest level of protection.