By Lucky Kidd
NEWTON, Kan. — Newton Fire/EMS has been awarded a Federal Assistance for Firefighter’s Grant (AFG) worth over $518,000 through FEMA to purchase a new fire engine and tender.
This will replace a 41-year-old military style and employee-built water tender that holds insufficient amounts of water and doesn’t have the correct dump valves to operate in a water shuttle operation for rural fires.
This unit will also provide redundancy in city operations when other engines are down or out for service.
Since 2018 NFEMS has received five AFG awards with a total value of just over $1.85 million. On average about 20 to 25 percent of AFG applicants are awarded every year, and only about ten percent of apparatus requests are awarded.
In a news release Monday, the department said this vehicle will be a significant asset to the community and department, with minimal budget impact.
