Kanjorski Announces $50,661 for Hughestown Hose Company #1

WASHINGTON - Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11) today announced that Hughestown Hose Company #1 received a grant for $50,661 for new airpacks. The money is part of the Firefighter Investment and Response Enhancement (FIRE) grant program of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

"Fire departments have found it increasingly difficult to make ends meet as operation costs increase and budgets decrease. Federal grants like this play a vital role in helping our fire departments purchase the most current equipment. Our firefighters face dangers each day that we cannot even imagine, and we owe it to them to make sure they have the most modern equipment," Congressman Kanjorski said.

Fire Chief Jamie Merlino said the company was in dire need of new airpacks. "The last new one we have is from 2000. We have four from 1998 and the rest are from the early ‘90s and about to become out-of-date," Chief Merlino said.

The new airpacks have state-of-the-art features, Chief Merlino said, including an element that allows them to hook up to another airpack when a firefighter is rescuing another firefighter. The bottles on the new airpacks last for 45 minutes, which is 15 minutes longer than the old packs. 

Congressman Kanjorski was among 286 cosponsors of the FIRE Act of 2000. More than $8.5 million in federal grants has been awarded to fire companies in the 11^th congressional district since the FIRE grant program began. To date, 80 fire companies in the 11^th congressional district have benefited from this federal grant program.

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