A new fire engine is in the picture for the Goodman Fire Protection District, thanks to a $256,500 grant.
“We’ve applied for this grant since they started,” said Marshall Long, chair of the department’s board.
The funds require a 5 percent match and will come from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant, a program started by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 2001. In September of 2004, the department was awarded $91,780 for self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), the air packs used by firefighters when they enter a burning building. Awards came late this year. Their application was in last April and typically notifications arrive in November. The group was notified by phone.
“It’s just a matter of them sending us an official letter,” Long said.
The district currently has three engines: a 1966 model, 1971 model and, the newest addition, a mid-1980s model.
The grant does have some requirements. All firefighters on the new engine will need drivers’ training and the department will record the truck’s mileage to send in to FEMA. As part of the conditions of the grant, the 1966 engine has to be taken out of service, and Marshall hopes someone locally will offer to purchase and maintain it and allow the department to borrow it for parades.
The award came May 7 and the department began looking for a pumper engine that meets its criteria.
“We’re getting a lot of mail now,” said Goodman Assistant Fire Chief Bud Richmond.
“We’ve looked as several pictures. We’re going to get a good one.”
If they cannot find a ready-made engine that meets their specifications, they can special order.
The fire district gathered data and Barry County Emergency Management Director David Compton helped them write the grant. Long said Compton was a “godsend” and credits him with getting the grant.
“We’re just tickled pink to have a new grant because all of our engines are old,” Long said, “and this will give us the ability to be up to speed with other districts in the area.”
Goodman became the first fire district with a tax base in McDonald County a few years ago. Other fire department are associations and rely on fundraisers to buy equipment and supplies.
