RFD awarded $119,000 in grants

By Staff
Jason Houston FCT Managing Editor
Russellville Fire Chief Joe Mansell got a bit of an early Christmas present this week, finding out that his department has been awarded $119,340 in federal grant funds to assist with operations and firefighter safety.
According to a press release from U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), the funds are available for training and fitness, protective equipment, and modifications to fire stations and facilities.
These funds have been awarded by the Department of Homeland Security's Office for Domestic Preparedness, as a part of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, a program that will distribute $750 million in direct federal assistance to firefighters nationwide this year. The grant is a 90/10 grant, meaning the city will pay 10 percent to match the 90 percent from federal funding.
Mansell said he was thrilled to receive the news, crediting Steve Thornton, Bobby Malone and Justin Green for helping write the grant application. He said the money will be spent for new air bottles, an air compressor to fill them, and new masks for the firefighters to use.
The compressor will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $35,000 – $40,000, with the bottles and masks costing around $5,000 each.
Mansell said his department has applied for similar federal funding in the past and not been approved.