A $315,000

grant will help firefighters from the Fayette County Department of Fire

and Emergency Services breathe a lot safer if not easier, too.

The grant from

the Federal Emergency Management Agency will go towards the purchase of

new state-of-the-art breathing apparatus. The department will use the

funds to replace all its breathing apparatus, said Chief Jack Krakeel.

"We have

some breathing apparatus that are 15, 16 and 17 years old," explained

Chief Jack Krakeel. "While they are not unsafe, they are not the

state of the art technology for respiratory protection for our personnel."

The breathing

apparatus is used to protect firefighters' breathing when they enter smoke

filled environments. The newer versions are lighter, better designed and

in many ways safer than older models, with features like radio communications

built into the mask unit.

A committee

comprised of department employees, headquarters staff and members of the

safety committee have courted vendors to learn about the different options

the department can take with the purchase, Krakeel said.

Field tests

of the various breathing apparatus will take place in the next month,

Krakeel said. After that, bids will be sought from the companies, he added.

The department

has been successful in having grant applications approved in recent years,

Krakeel noted. Currently, the department is second in the state in the

amount of funds raised by grants.

"You try

to be as efficient and effective as you can," Krakeel said. "If

funding opportunities are available, that just reduces the burden on the

taxpayers."

The grant came

from a pool of $300 million appropriated by Congress for this year through

the U.S. Fire Administration. Fayette was one of over 19,000 agencies

across the country to apply for the grants.