Malta City Fire gets $10,000 Town Pump Grant

The Malta City Fire Department was awarded a $10,000 grant from the Town Pump Charitable Foundation last week and the department couldn’t have been awarded the money at a better time.

“This is from the same place as the grant that the County Fire Department was awarded,” City Fire Chief Greg Boos said. “We applied for it a little earlier than the County did so after a community member called me and told me about it.”

Chief Boos and DeeDee Hanson from the Malta City Office filled out the needed paperwork, sent it off then sort of forgot about it.

“Then, about a week after the county got their award letter, we got ours,” Chief Boos said.

In mid-May, Greg Kelsey — Fire Department Communications Officer — learned that the Phillips County Volunteer Fire Department was awarded a $5,000 grant from the Town Pump Charitable Foundation. The County Fire Department spent the funds for Wild Land Urban Interface Equipment and Training. The perfect timing for the City Fire Fighters coincides with needing new air tanks for the volunteers.

“This will help purchase air cylinders and turnouts, boots and things like that,” Chief Boos said. “We budgeted some money for air tanks this year because as of this October 2017, all of our air tanks are to be put out of service because they have been in service for 15 years and have run their course.”

Chief Boos said the tank purchases from 15 years ago were made with monies from FEMA grants. Chief Boos said seven new tanks will be purchased with the money he had budgeted for this year and another seven tanks will be bought with the money from the Town Pump Grant.

“That will almost equip the two City trucks with new, 30-year air tanks,” he said. “This grant couldn’t have come at a better time and it really helps out the fire department’s budget through the City.”