Grant Allows Rural Oregon Fire District To Purchase New Equipment

A rural Oregon fire district has a Hollywood celebrity to thank for new safety equipment.  Southwest Polk Fire, in Dallas, just received a sizable grant from the Gary Sinise Foundation, allowing the fire district west of Salem to buy ten full sets of turnouts for firefighters.

"This is the second grant for the same thing and we got 10 in the first round and 10 in the second round," said Deputy Chief of Operations Scott Magers.  "And so, that’s about $80,000.”

Magers said turnouts are critical to keeping firefighters safe when they enter a burning building, but their previous gear had outlived their certification.  Those old turnouts will now be converted into backups.

“There’s a company in the Portland area that services those and for a lot less money, we can create a second set of turnouts.  Take the ones we have and have them sewn, have them repaired, have them cleaned, and put back into serviceable condition."

Magers said rising operational costs and a growing demand makes it difficult for rural districts to get new equipment without the help of grants.

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