NC Fire Department - Training Grant
| 5/7/2010 10:05:00 PM Article provided by the Courier Times, New Castle, Indiana | |
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By: John Hodge, Senior Staff Writer The New Castle Fire Department will have improved training in handling hazardous materials, thanks to a grant it received on Friday. Arlington-Roe & Co. and Fireman's Fund Insurance Company are partnering to award the New Castle Fire Department a $5,600 grant. Specifically, grant funds will be used to provide firefighters with training onhazardousmaterials and operating fire equipment. "This will help us get up to snuff as far as training inhazardousmaterials," Fire Chief Jeff Murray said. "We have 29 employees in the fire department and we respond to 3,800 calls a year. We run three shifts with seven to nine firemen per shift. Keeping up on our training is vital." James A. Roe, president of Arlington-Roe, made the check presentation. He cited the efforts of the Pfenninger Insurance Agency in requesting the grant. "We are a wholesale insurance broker," Roe said. "We help independent agencies, like the Pfenninger Agency, with coverage on behalf of their clients that have a tendency to be more special in nature, like fire departments and hospitals. The Fireman's Fund has been in business since 1863, supporting firefighters and widows. "The Pfenninger Agency has worked with us for a long time and has been great supporters of the Fireman's Fund. We had 20 different submissions for funds around the state. We could only give grants to six of them. New Castle is one of the six. "This is a great opportunity for me to get out and help the firefighters who sometimes give their lives up to protect others." Josh Estelle of the Pfenninger Agency composed the letter seeking the grant. The letter detailed the needs of the New Castle Fire Department. "I saw the announcement that this grant was available," Estelle said. "I contacted Jeff and asked him if he'd be interested. Then I wrote a letter of recommendation. We found out a couple of months ago that we had been approved for the grant." Estelle said that he had been through some fire training himself, and it made him more conscious and appreciative of what firefighters endure. "It was a real eye-opener," Estelle said. "These guys do amazing things. For as few resources as they have, they do an unbelievable job." The fire chief expressed gratitude on behalf of the entire department. "The local insurance agencies nominate a department and the Pfenninger Agency nominated us," Murray said. "They sent us an application that we had to fill out and explain what the funds would be used for. I'm proud to say that we were chosen. That will give a lot of good effort in training the firefighters. "We'll be able to serve the community better and be more prepared," Murray added. "The improved training program will be an asset to the city." The fire department has a training facility near Osborne Park. It is available for use by all firefighters in District 6 of Indiana. It has classrooms and facilities for live fire training. |
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