More rescue equipment could be coming to the Agassiz Fire Department, thanks to a grant application put forward by the department.
Currently, the Agassiz Fire Department has one set of rescue equipment, which is kept in the department’s main fire truck. These ropes, pulleys and harnesses are used to respond to technical rescues, including low or steep slope rescues, large animal rescues and confined space rescues.
“More technical rescue equipment would help in a number of ways, such a response time,” deputy chief Mike Van Laerhoven told Kent council Monday (March 25).
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Because the department only has one set of equipment, it can only response to one incident at a time. As the area continues to grow, so does the possibility of multiple incidents.
The fire department will be putting in a grant application to Farm Credit Canada AgriSpirit Fund to purchase a second set of equipment, to be kept in the department’s four-wheel drive vehicle.
“We’d like to outfit our four-by-four F150 in the same fashion, to allow for quick response to areas that require four-wheel drive, or when the roads are covered for snow and ice,” Van Laerhoven said.
The Farm Credit Canada AgriSpirit Fund will provided between $5,000 and $25,000 in funds for qualifying capital projects. The grant doesn’t require any matching funds from the District of Kent or other partners.
grace.kennedy@ahobserver.com
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