Five local fire departments will be purchasing new equipment at a reduced price, following the final approval needed from a participating community.

Fire departments from Fowlerville, Unadilla, Hartland, Hamburg and Green Oak Township are all in need of new equipment and found they could save themselves a significant amount of money by purchasing it in one mass order. The departments are all nearing expiration of their self-contained breathing apparatuses, or SCBAs’, which deliver breathable air to firefighters in dangerous conditions. A total of 182 SCBAs are needed for the five departments, costing approximately $1.2(m) million. By making a single large purchase, they will save about $2,000 per unit. Hamburg Township authorized their portion of the expenditure earlier this week and Green Oak Township, the last municipality to review the issue, did the same Wednesday. Green Oak Township’s Fire Department was awarded a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) earlier this year that will cover the majority of the cost to replace their SCBAs.

With the addition of matching funds from the department, the FEMA grant will cover 38 packs. Green Oak’s fire department requires 52 total, and so the board of trustees approved a budget amendment to allow $89,347 be spent to cover the purchase of 14 additional SCBAs and their contribution of matching funds. The order for the five departments will be placed this week and is expected to arrive by the end of this year. (DK)