Many volunteer departments across the state are pinching pennies, forcing them to prioritize critical equipment over health and safety. “With a limited budget, you kind of have to make a judgment call of, some of the gear is good enough,” Fire chief for Cowley County Fire District 3 in Burden, Chris Cannon, said. “It’s not within the recommended guidelines, but it looks OK. So it was a huge challenge. We really couldn’t do it with a budget of dollars that we had.” Cannon says grant funding is essential to being able to operate effectively and safely. “It’s just very challenging because there’s so many needs and such few resources to meet that,” Cannon said. “The fire marshal grant is great for stretching our dollars and getting those things done.”
Source: KSN-TV
