Commission approves SAFER grant purchases for firefighter gear and a locally built skid unit
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Summary
Ellis County accepted grant funding and approved purchase orders to outfit firefighters with NFPA-compliant structural gear under a SAFER award and to build a brush-truck skid unit locally; county share of the skid-unit cost is roughly $1,800 after reimbursement.
Ellis County commissioners on Jan. 20 approved purchase orders to equip firefighters using a federal SAFER grant and to purchase a brush-truck skid unit tied to a Department of Interior award.
County Administrator Darren Myers said the SAFER award reimburses roughly $3,750 per firefighter for qualifying structural firefighting gear for up to 10 firefighters and described additional required NFPA-equivalent medical physicals at about $800 per person (the county pays up-front and is later reimbursed). The county will purchase 10 sets of gear under the grant and an additional eight sets with the annual bunker-gear PO; the combined effort will replace aging equipment and begin to close a replacement backlog.
Myers also explained that a DOI skid-unit grant required rebidding after federal delays increased prices. County staff determined a locally built skid unit installed on an existing F-550 chassis would reduce cost and avoid incompatible spare equipment; total cost rose but reimbursement will cover most of it, leaving an estimated county share of about $1,800. Commissioners approved PO 79 81 for the skid unit and approved the POs related to protective gear.
Why it matters: The purchases address firefighter safety by replacing aging bunker gear and expanding wildfire response capacity in rural parts of the county while leveraging federal grants to minimize county outlay.
Next steps: The fire department will complete physicals, submit grant documentation for reimbursement, and coordinate build and installation of the skid unit with local partners.