Published: December 07, 2006 08:56 am      

Accident firefighters to use federal money for sprinkler system

ACCIDENT — The Accident Volunteer Fire Department will use $57,798 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program to install a sprinkler system in its station.

“We’re not sure what kind yet, but we have rough estimates,” Chief Richard Carlson said. “We don’t have a sprinkler system, but we need it to protect the equipment and the building, especially since it is designated for Red Cross use in case of an emergency.”

U.S. Sens. Barbara Mikulski and Paul Sarbanes made the announcement that two Western Maryland fire departments were awarded a total of $302,423 in federal funding.

The Hancock Fire Company in Washington County was awarded $244,625 to purchase 20 sets of turn-out gear, 20 self-contained breathing ap-paratus units, 20 portable radios for interoperable communications, an emergency generator and a thermal-imaging camera.

Carlson said that he was surprised to receive this year’s grant. In 2005, the department was awarded $83,934 to purchase 16 SCBA units, spare bottles for each of those and new hoses for their trucks.

This is Hancock’s third award. In 2003, the department received $25,684 and in 2004, the department was awarded $274,500 to purchase a new engine tanker.

The Department of Homeland Security 2007 spending bill that President Bush signed into law in October includes $662 million in federal funding for the nation’s firefighters. While this is significantly more than the president requested, it still falls short of the program’s authorized funding level of $1 billion.