$60K FEMA grant will ease exhaust concerns
By eric seiverling
eseiverling@yourmvi.com
Firefighters face many hazards in the line of duty, such as smoke inhalation, burning buildings and collapsing ceilings.
But thanks to a $60,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, firefighters in Jefferson Hills will have one less fear on their minds.
FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant, awarded to the department Sept. 25, will go toward purchasing and installing a diesel exhaust system, which will attach to the exhaust pipes of the department’s firetrucks and discharge the fumes outside the station.
According to Brian Chalfant, the borough’s assistant fire chief, being diagnosed with cancer from diesel exhaust has become a growing concern among national and local firefighters.
“There’s a real big push across the U.S. to raise awareness about the cancer scare from diesel exhaust,” Chalfant said. “When I first became a firefighter, I washed my gear every couple of weeks. Now, we wash our gear after every call because of the diesel fumes.”
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