Area fire departments receive grants for safety

A pair of area fire departments have received grants from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation to buy new equipment that will keep firefighters safe from harmful toxins.

The Columbia Township Fire Department received $12,600 to purchase 72 hoods and 72 washable gloves for their personnel, according to a news release from Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.

The Rocky River Fire Department will receive $14,565 to purchase an extractor, 29 hoods with barrier protection and 29 washable gloves, the release said.

The release said the funds are from the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation’s Firefighter Exposure to Environmental Elements Grant Program and are part of a $426,000 package of grants dispersed to 39 departments across the state.

The program is aimed at helping departments purchase safety gear, exhaust systems and specialized washing machines to reduce the residue collected on firefighters’ gear during a fire which can cause respiratory disease, cancer and other ailments, the release said.

“Firefighters face lifethreatening exposure to harmful materials even after dousing a blaze, and those are the threats we’re targeting with this grant program,” said Abe Al-Tarawneh, superintendent of Bureau of Workers’ Compensation’s division of safety and hygiene. “The program is helping to bring this important protective equipment to fire departments across the state.”