Kentucky Firefighters and EMTs to Get Added Protection 

Release Date: January 4, 2002
Release Number: R4-02-01

Atlanta, GA -- Firefighters and emergency medical technicians at 10 Warren County, Kentucky, fire departments and rescue squads will soon have safe shelter during tornadoes and windstorms, thanks to a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

"Firefighters and EMTs are the first responders in disasters," said FEMA Region IV Director Kenneth O. Burris, Jr. "We need to make sure that our first line of defense at home is safe. The high wind shelters will give members of the 10 departments a safe place to ride out tornadoes and windstorms, so they will be able to respond when the winds subside."

Each of the 10 by 10-foot shelters will be constructed to meet or exceed FEMA's 250 mph wind speed criteria and the National Storm Shelter Association (NSSA) standards. NSSA minimum standards require that the shelter's sidewalls be able to withstand the impact of a 15-pound 2x4 traveling at 100 mph and the roof withstand the impact of same size and weight object falling at 67 mph.

The estimated cost for building the 10 high wind shelters is $124,660, with FEMA providing 75 percent and the remaining 25 percent coming from state and local sources.

The 10 fire department or rescue squads receiving grants are:

Last Modified: Wednesday, 27-Aug-2003 12:21:49