SEYMOUR (WATE) - The Seymour Volunteer Fire Department received a four-year federal grant for live-in staffing that will help improve response time to fires.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded the grant which will provide:
- Funds for a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response coordinator ($24,480)
- Tuition reimbursement for nine live-in firefighters of up to $8,000 per year per firefighter
- Funds for physicals ($15,390)
- Personal protective Equipment (PPE) nine sets ($26,730)
- Workers comp insurance ($17,000)
- Computers ($6,800)
- Recruitment, advertising and incentives ($70,500)
The grant will allow the fire department to reach greater compliance with a standard that calls for at least 10 firefighters to respond to a structural fire within 10 minutes of an alarm.
Fire officials say during past statistical periods, the department has only been in compliance less than six percent of the time. However, more than 20 firefighters are often on scene by the end of an incident.
Live-in firefighters help eliminate the three to five minute delay when an alarm happens at night and firefighters who live elsewhere must travel to the station first.
Some of the Seymour firefighters will be able to use the tuition funds toward their full time education and remain available in the area.
Current firefighters will receive incentives to continue volunteer participation.
The department serves a 95-square-mile, tri-county area.
