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East Moline Fire Department seeks FEMA grant for rescue truck

East Moline Fire Department
City of East Moline's website
East Moline Fire Department

The East Moline Fire Department is applying for a Federal Emergency Management Agency Assistance Firefighter Grant.

Fire Chief Robert DeFrance says the department's fleet replacement schedule is moving forward with two vehicles.

"So, what we're going to be applying for this time is a rescue squad, really replacing a 2012, really a Ford F-250 that we're using as a rescue vehicle, utility vehicle, and a command vehicle," DeFrance said in a phone interview with WVIK. "And we have found that we need more space to be able to carry more equipment, cascade system, and things that we don't have currently a capability. So, this grant will be towards replacing that vehicle."

The truck's cost is estimated at $300,000, and DeFrance says departments across the country must order replacements ahead of time as it could take three years to build and deliver a new vehicle.

DeFrance says the department held off applying while communicating with the city about including a previous sales agreement for a pumper truck in the grant application.

"So, FEMA will not reimburse or give us grant money for a truck that we've already placed on order. Okay. So, that means we're now going to be applying for one truck," DeFrance said on Dec. 6th.

The city and the department signed a sales agreement in February to purchase the pumper truck, which is estimated to cost $900,000. DeFrance says the order is being built, and it could take another year and a half before completion.

According to DeFrance, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant from FEMA totals $291 million, but only a third, around $72 million, is available to replace vehicles.

"So, we've seen the price of the fire engines just skyrocket in the last several years. So, we've seen the price of the fire engines just skyrocket in the last several years. They're much more expensive and they take much longer to get. Most, you know, a lot of manufacturers are out two to three years," DeFrance said.

DeFrance says the cost share for East Moline is 10%, based on population.

The department received grant funding from FEMA over the years, covering multiple expenses.

"Our generators and our fire stations came from this grant. Our air compressor and air packs have come from this grant," DeFrance said. "In fact, we just recently, last fall, or this, you know, last summer here in 2024, recently received $167,000 in grant funds out of this grant to replace our self-contained breathing apparatus, which is we're in the process of bidding now."

The deadline to apply for the grant is Dec. 20th, and DeFrance says the department should hear back in April or May of next year whether the application is approved.

This story was produced by WVIK, Quad Cities NPR. We rely on financial support from our listeners and readers to provide coverage of the issues that matter to the Quad Cities region and beyond. As someone who values the content created by WVIK's news department, please consider making a financial contribution to support our work.

Brady is a 2021 Augustana College graduate majoring in Multimedia Journalism-Mass Communication and Political Science. Over the last eight years, he has reported in central Illinois at various media outlets, including The Peoria Journal Star, WCBU Peoria Public Radio, Advanced Media Partners, and WGLT Bloomington-Normal's Public Media.