By DAVE SCHULTZ
Bluffton Fire Chief Don Craig, having struck out twice in an effort to receive a grant to pay the majority of a needed $300,000 for new radio equipment, will be able to rely on a professional this time around.
The application deadline for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is coming up soon and this time Craig wants help from John Storm of Mancos, Colo., in putting the grant request together.
The cost for Storm’s services is $1,950. Craig has the money in his department’s budget but asked the Bluffton Board of Public Works and Safety Tuesday for permission to use alternative funding. The board members — Mayor John Whicker, Scott Mentzer, and Josh Hunt — agreed to take the money out of the city’s General Fund.
The radios the firefighters use are outdated, Craig said, and he has hoped to get an AFG grant to purchase replacement radios soon.
Craig said Mentzer recommended that he use Storm’s expertise, and Craig said it was already paying off. Storm said there was already one factor favoring the department’s third try for the grant.
“Since we have applied before, that does put us in a higher category” favoring their application, Craig said.
The grant will not cover the entire cost of the radios, but it will cover 85 percent — $255,000.
daves@news-banner.com
