Firefighter Phil Kamm wrote the grant that will help the fire department replace aging air packs. / Bill Bresler | staff photographer

The Livonia Fire Department will replace the department's old air tanks with new self-contained breathing apparatuses.

The department learned March 23 it would receive $277,000 in grants through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. The tank replacement will not be completed until later this year as the department needs to bid and award the contract for the equipment, according to Fire Chief Shadd Whitehead.

The fire department was pleased with the news of the grant.

“The SCBAs are more efficient, more safe and more durable,” Whitehead said. “Not only are they lighter weight, they are ergonomically more sound and they will withstand harsh environments.”

Firefighters will communicate more effectively, Whitehead said. “Communication is paramount to safety,” Whitehead said. The mask on the apparatus will contain a microphone that is hard wired inside the equipment, instead of using the current means of a handheld portable radio, Whitehead said.

Background noises of saws or tools used by firefighters or even the fire itself forces firefighters to yell into the portable radios.

“Firefighters won't have to yell into the microphones in the new system,” Whitehead said. “They will speak into it in normal tones without worrying about any background noise at the fire scene.”

The SCBAs will feature a standardized rapid intervention connection, which will allow a firefighter to hook an alternative SCBA as an air source to a firefighter who is unconscious or injured who is running out of air on his/her air tank. “It will allow you to hook a new air supply alternative right into his tank,” Whitehead said.

Whitehead was not sure what the new equipment will weigh, but even one or two pounds less helps a firefighter carrying equipment and tools at a fire scene, he said. “We've seen the weight of these drop from 75 pounds 20 years ago to about 55 pounds,” Whitehead said.

The emergency air connection will come in handy when departments from several communities respond in mutual aid situations, such as multi-alarm fires or gas explosions. “They are all built to the same standard,” Whitehead said.

Grant writer credited

Whitehead credited firefighter Phil Kamm, a fire engine driver and a paramedic, with his research and work on the grant application. Last year the Livonia Fire Department received approval of a grant for a new fire engine.

Whitehead said about 16,000 grants are submitted by local fire departments; about $400 million is approved in 4,000 grants each year by U.S. Congress.

“He's spent a tremendous amount of time researching the grants,” Whitehead said of Kamm. “He talks with other departments that have been successful in getting grants, and he goes over the application with a fine-toothed comb. It contributes to the success of saving local tax dollars by getting federal grants.”

Kamm said he treats each grant application “like it's a term paper.” Kamm said Mayor Jack Kirksey and Whitehead let him know what they would like to see in the department, and Kamm researches grant availability.

“You see a lot of departments downsizing in southeast Michigan because the communities are losing money,” Kamm said. “You have to be creative.”

He appreciated Kirksey's and Whitehead's input, but also for allowing him to work by himself and be creative in his approach to seeking grants.

Kamm called the SCBA “the most essential piece of equipment” for firefighters. “You're entering a dangerous environment,” Kamm said of firefighters' duties.

The new SCBAs also have lights inside the masks to inform firefighters where they are in terms of oxygen in the tank. “Displays inside their mask light to show the oxygen levels. Green is OK, yellow indicates that they are starting to run low and red means to get out now,” Kamm said.

The standardized connection, also known as “buddy breathers,” is another life-saving component of the equipment, Kamm said.

Whitehead knows the grant approval is a big deal for the department.

“It's huge. It's difficult to make capital outlay expenditures with the budgets we've had over the past few years. We're trying to be good stewards. It would take you a very long time to pay for something like this. Things like this are just huge.”

kabramcz@hometownlife.com | (313) 222-2591 | Twitter: @KenAbramcz