Fire Department awarded grant

The Crowley Fire Department was awarded an Assistance for Firefighters Grant last week. According to Fire Chief Jody Viator, the grant was a long time coming for the department.
“This was the eighth straight year we applied for the grant,” said Viator. “In the previous years, we would receive a letter saying that the funds had run out.”
The grant, which was approximately $200,000, was awarded to the department from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They will be using the funding for the purchase of 34 new air packs for the department.
“We’ve been having the same packs since 1997,” said Viator. “During the last two to three years, the man who tests our equipment said he was growing concerned about them.”
The department will now begin the process of testing different air packs to see which ones best suit them.
The expect to have the new packs within eight to 10 months.
Alderman Bryan Borill was at Viator’s office Monday afternoon.
“We’ve been discussing those at city council meetings for a while now,” he said.
Viator said that new air packs are usually effective for approximately 15 years.
The Church Point Volunteer Fire Department also received a grant from FEMA for operations and safety for approximately $43,000.