When the state of Georgia made consumer fireworks legal in July 2015, legislators also directed some of the new fireworks’ tax revenue be made available via grants to fire departments around the state.
Administered by the Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council (GFSTC), grants of up to $25,000 each for equipment only (including 10% contributed by the corresponding city, county, or municipal body), have been awarded annually, with 70 fire departments of more than 460 statewide to receive grant funds this year.
Among the 70 is the Eatonton Fire Department, led by Chief Jamey Williamson, who submitted the required vendor quotes, voted on approval from Eatonton City Council, and all other paperwork well before the March 1 deadline.
Williamson said he requested $24,900 (including the city’s agreed-upon $2,490 contribution) to purchase a new five-inch diameter fire hose and its required fittings for his department and received GFSTC approval about mid-March.
Williamson explained that EFD had mostly 3-inch hoses on its trucks and explained that due to internal “friction loss,” even if two streams of three-inch hose were delivering water on a fire, they could not match the volume of water flow a five-inch hose could provide.
Also, the Putnam County Fire Department uses 5-inch hoses on its equipment, Williamson pointed out, so the new hose brings a measure of conformity and consistency between the two departments.
Five-inch fire hose comes in 100-foot sections, costing more than $800 each, Williamson said, and since all fire hose has a limited safe, useful life, depending largely on frequency of use or damage, they require occasional replacement anyway. He said the grant money would be placed in an account and used by GFSTC to pay suppliers directly.
So far, only two five-inch fittings to attach the new hose to EFD trucks have been delivered, Williamson said, due to a backlog in 5-inch hose availability. He expects to see them in-house early this summer.
“It’s taken a while, but this will be much better when everything is installed,” Williamson said while demonstrating the obvious, significant difference in size between the old three-inch and brand-new five-inch fittings. “But it’ll be worth it, these will flow so much better.”