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Friday, April 01, 2011

Salisbury Fire Department Receives Grant Funding For Dive Equipment


The Salisbury Fire Department is proud to announce the awarding of grant funding to our department and the West Side Volunteer Fire Company through Wicomico Emergency Management.

The Salisbury Fire Department and the West Side Volunteer Fire Department, in a collaborative effort, applied jointly for funds for upgraded dive equipment several months ago. We were notified of our success and we have received the following equipment, four White’s HazMat Dry Suits with integrated gloves and four weight harness systems. The approximate cost of the equipment received is $8,000.00, none of which is to be absorbed by the City of Salisbury.

The value of the equipment is immeasurable due to the extra protection afforded to our divers, who provide expert service as a part of the Salisbury Fire Department Special Operations Dive Team. Along with the full face masks received in a grant last year, we now have the capability to totally encapsulate our divers, offering similar protection to that of a Level A or Level B Haz Mat suit.

The number one benefit of both the Salisbury Fire Department and the West Side Fire Department having the same dive equipment is inter-operability, plus the availability of additional equipment to both teams. This would also serve to enhance our response times as qualified divers arrive to a scene with familiar equipment.

The Salisbury Fire Department Special Operations Dive Team and the West Side Volunteer Fire Department Dive Team often train together and deploy jointly to assist on the same calls providing mutual support.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Now they will be able to go down and bring up the new farboat after it sinks from neglect...

Unknown said...

...or scrape the bottom of barnacles themselves instead of paying someone else to do it.

Anonymous said...

westside , what a joke , pump my boat out , it's sinking . To the short guy , hvac.

Anonymous said...

Go for it Pat , pump some boats out , aqua man at it's best. The miget in action.

Anonymous said...

Anything dealing with the Salisbury Fire Department and raping the tax payers is ridiculous! None of that money is to be absorbed by the City of Salisbury? I guess that is more of that FREE MONEY that grows on trees. Who is going to pay the divers to go on dives and training? Who is going to pay for the maintenance on this equipment?

First and foremost the City of Salisbury needs that dive team like it needs the Fire Boat. It doesn't!

Anonymous said...

Where's your new fire chief? I hear he is missing in action every single weekend. Spends more time in Virginia than he does in Salisbury? Is that what we are paying for?

Anonymous said...

Good grief! Settle down; while we do not agree with all this dispensing of grant $ (fire boat etc), this one is not going to hurt anyone and if it saves 1 life, it is worth it. Try to determine the difference between the politics and the fact that actually a life or several lives may be saved by this small amt of $.

Anonymous said...

9:06 PM you are correct and he has been doing that since he got hired 6 months ago. That is what your mayor and council has allowed him to do. He has an unlimited vacation policy and an open check book.

SameoleSameole said...

Is it vacation or is it his usual days off that is a benefit most employees receive? I see the "farhouse gripers" have come back to life.

Anonymous said...

Don't worry Gordy is in charge (not just on weekends) and will get all the "free" money he wants for toys.

Anonymous said...

SameoleSameole said...

Is it vacation or is it his usual days off that is a benefit most employees receive? I see the "farhouse gripers" have come back to life.

8:50 AM

Somebody is doing damage control. A new city employee is only entitled to a small amount of time off. As much time as this person has abused I submit to you is grounds for termination. This person has only been on the job for 6 months so how much vacation time is a 6 month employee entitled to!

Anonymous said...

Since the local departments are always such a hot topic you would think someone would look into the training and standards met by the volunteer leaders. Maybe its time for the county to step in and find out who is and who is not qualified to run your local department, several counties have volunteer officer qualifications and standards already in place that could serve as a model to write a Wicomico County set of standards. How many Chiefs have little to no training and run your local department?

Anonymous said...

the county should step in to manage things. hebron is starting a dive team and will have it "active" before june although their "divers" have not training. how many teams do we need in the county?