By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Following Wednesday's regular Barton County Commission meeting, the commission entered right into a meeting for Fire District No. 1. Fire Chief Doug Hubbard presented on two grants the department recently received. The first was for $15,000 and a new washing machine.
"The grant was actually two parts," Hubbard said. "The grant for the cash, $15,000 for the personal protective equipment, and then the washing machine, called an extractor washer. The fire marshal's office just has them, and they grant them to basically anybody who applies. That's probably worth $5-6,000."
The commission agreed to pay $15,700 for five sets of Danko bunker equipment and gear for the district. After submission of proof of purchase, the state fire marshal's office will reimburse the county $15,000 as part of the grant.
Extractor washing machines are high-powered machines that can wash large loads of laundry and remove most of the moisture from the articles after the wash to reduce dry times. Hubbard said fire equipment does not go through a dryer because heat can damage some of the fire-retardant properties.
Fire District No. 1 received another grant for grain rescue gear, which was recently put into service. Hubbard said, besides grain elevators, many farms have their own grain storage where the equipment may be needed someday.