Archive : 2014 Last Updated: Nov 12, 2017 - 7:59:47 PM


Posted in: 2014
Volunteers Awarded Two Federal Grants
Sep 2, 2014 - 3:34:50 PM

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Tuesday, September 2, 2014 - The Refton Volunteers recently received word that they were awarded two Assistance to Firefighter Grants for upgrades to our daily operations.  The grants are for a new compressor system and portable radios for the new county radio system.  These grants are awarded to public service agencies for a wide variety of projects; anything from renovations to an existing building to purchasing and/or refurbishing existing equipment to debt reduction to new equipment that will assist in the safety of first responders.

The Air Compressor Grant awarded will replace our current aging and outdated compressor system (compressor, fill stations and four 6000 bank cylinders).  The new compressor system is more efficient, has a lot more safety features then the current one and will work in concert with the new Scott SCBA's (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus or "Air Packs") that the volunteers purchased earlier this year.  We hope to have the new system installed and in service by mid to late fall 2014.

The Refton Volunteers also hosted a Regional Grant for Portable Radios.  Lampeter, Robert Fulton, West Willow and New Danville Fire Companies joined in with us on this grant.  Having multiple companies joined together for the same grant helped ensure bulk purchasing power and interoperability between fire departments.  The portable radios (which retail over $4,000.00 each) will be used with the new UHF P25 Digital System that Lancaster County is putting into service.  This radio system is replacing a severely outdated VHF Low Band System that the county has been using for well over fifty to sixty years.  The five fire companies have committed to purchasing portable radios straight from Motorola and hope to have them by later on this month.

The Refton Volunteers would like to thank Jon Sly for writing these two grants and to the surrounding fire departments who joined in with us on the Regional Grant.  Between these two grants and the grant for the new Polaris Ranger UTV that the volunteers received earlier this year, the volunteers received well over a quarter of a million dollars worth of upgrades to operational equipment in order to assist in keeping the residents of Strasburg and Providence Townships as well as surrounding municipalities protected.



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