Federal grant helps fire department buy new breathing tanks

The Saukville Fire Department has been awarded a $200,000 federal grant to purchase new breathing tanks for firefighters to wear when they enter burning buildings.

The department has applied for the annual Federal Emergency Management Agency Firefighters Assistance grant before, but this is the first year it has been awarded to Saukville, Fire Chief Gilly Schultz said.

The grant covers 95% of the equipment cost, with the village providing about $10,000 toward the purchase. 

In all, 30 units were purchased, with each unit consisting of a backpack harness, two refillable air bottles and a face mask.

Firefighter Sara deBruijn wrote the grant proposal for the equipment.

The department also purchased an air compressor for about $35,000 that will be used to refill the air bottles. That cost was not covered in the grant, deBruijn said.