In 2020, Erv’s Sparta Area Fire Protection District (SAFPD) was the recipient of the Theisen’s More for Your Community corporate grant in the amount of $2,500, which was used to purchase 19 new helmet replacements for the department.
The program grants to agencies that most effectively/directly serve the basic needs of families and children, which includes food, shelter, education, safety and health. Last year, Theisen’s gave away a total of $349,550 through the grant program.
Through some fundraising efforts, the department then matched the remaining $2,500 for the purchase of the new helmets, according to Assistant Fire Chief Robert Arnold.
“If you bought a higher quantity, we got a better discount, so we saved some money that way and they also had a promotion that we took advantage of,” he said. “The leather front that’s affixed to the front of the new helmets was all customized at no extra charge.”
The helmets that were replaced were originally purchased from 2003 to 2009. “The standards have changed in terms of technology, comfort, and more advanced materials for security and safety,” Arnold said.
SAFPD got the latest edition of helmets from NFPA 1851, which is the standard on selection, care, and maintenance of protective ensembles for structural firefighting and proximity firefighting.
“They’re more lightweight and you don’t get as fatigued carrying extra weight and everything we wear is heavy so every little bit lost helps,” Arnold said. “The technology is a little bit more advanced and their adjustable.”
He added that fire departments must abide by so many National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards that routine maintenance keeps equipment and gear in good working shape for the most part that oftentimes the manufacture date gets forgotten.
By adhering to NFPA standards, wearable equipment should be replaced every 10 years. Equipment is not cheap and with a total of 39 members with the department, replacing equipment every 10 years gets costly.
“Applying for grants helps out a lot,” Arnold said. “We’re very fortunate.”
The department has been so consumed with replacing bigger ticket items like vehicles and self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBA) that new helmets weren't exactly at the top of the priority list.
The SAFPD was also behind on replacing its SCBAs. “They were failing to the point that people weren’t able to get on air,” Arnold said. “They needed replacement.”
The department received several grants to help pay for the new equipment. The technology is much more advanced, the equipment is lighter and adjustable for lumbar comfort, it holds more air, and the pack moves with the person wearing it.
For the past several years, the SAFPD Long Range Planning Committee has spent countless hours in meetings, of both their own and with all the local municipalities explaining the long-term equipment needs of the department.
“Everything falls under NFPA standard, and we want to stay compliant in every category as much as we can,” Arnold explained. “Looking at those items, we put a timeline together and assessed the big-ticket items that would need replacement and we came up with a dollar amount.”
In 2019, the committee finally placed an order for four new, custom-built trucks, which included two new fire engines, a heavy-duty rescue truck and a water tender.
“We got what we needed and what suited the department and the townships well without going beyond our means,” Arnold said. “It turned out really well and in the next few years, we’ll start the process again for the next round.”
The vehicles were originally scheduled to be delivered in 2020. Unfortunately, due to COVID, the delivery was pushed back, but SAFPD now has all four of the new trucks on the road.
“We’ve responded with those rigs, and it's been a really nice change,” Arnold said. “Everyone is really excited about what we’ve got, not just with the trucks, but the equipment we’ve got on the trucks.”
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