Putnam Fire Using Grant For Critical Equipment Upgrades

Putnam County Fire Department upgrading its local responder safety infrastructure this week after securing a specialized state grant to purchase advanced gear-cleaning technology.

Putnam County Fire Chief Jeff Hicks said his department is utilizing a specific $25,000 allotment from the state’s total emergency funding pool to secure a commercial extractor and specialized drying system. Hicks said proper decontamination protocols represent a vital baseline necessary to protect personnel from long-term health risks associated with active structural fires.

“The mindset 20 years ago was if you come out of a good working house fire,” Hicks said, “You have the black soot on your helmet and your gear and the last thing you wanted to do was wash it because you wanted to look salty you wanted to look manly you know hey I’ve been in there doing my job you know. However all that black soot stuff is carcinogens.”

Hicks said the incoming sanitation equipment operates completely differently from standard household laundry appliances to preserve the physical integrity of firefighting gear like helmets and turnout suits that carry a strict operational shelf life. Hicks said securing state-level grant funding allows the department to reallocate its existing county funds toward critical mutual aid infrastructure and regional water resources.

“These kind of grants are important to us because we were going to buy that [turnout gear] anyway,” Hicks said. “Everything we buy has a shelf life on a day-to-day basis. We had money for it, but it lets us use our money for something else. We do a lot of mutual aid, and we can come get water where a lot of places can’t.”

Hicks said the primary modern challenge facing the department involves the long-term retention of dedicated volunteer personnel. Hicks said that while the station maintains a strong core group of responders, finding community members who can balance their family obligations with demanding emergency calls remains an ongoing struggle.

“This day and time, it’s not like it was 26 years ago,” Hicks said. “It’s hard to get people to share their time away from family like they did. I don’t know if it’s just a much busier time. I don’t know. But we have volunteers and we have a great group core of volunteers, and we’re always looking to have more.”
The Putnam County Fire Department is currently processing its equipment orders to integrate the new gear-cleaning systems into daily operations upon delivery later this fall.