ROGERS — Firefighters at the seven Rogers fire stations soon will breath a little easier.
The Rogers Fire Department received a federal grant of $186,750 to purchase “source-capture systems” for each fire station. The grant was awarded through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants program.
Combined with a 10 percent matching contribution, the department’s total expenditure will be $205,000.
A source-capture system, said Fire Chief Tom Jenkins, is basically a big hose that hooks onto a truck’s exhaust system and sucks exhaust from a building.
“What people don’t realize is that a firefighter will spend one-third of his working life here at the fire station,” Jenkins said. “This is their home. Over the course of 20 or 30 years, they’ll be exposed to a lot of known carcinogens.”
Exhaust fumes from diesel fuel is full of carcinogens, Jenkins said.
“It’s a measure of safety for our folks,” he added. “Their sleeping quartersare on the same level as the trucks. We may never know the real benefits of it. But this is a big, big deal.”
Battalion Chief Bryan Hinds agrees.
“My office is down on truck level of the station,” Hinds said. “I can smell that diesel exhaust coming from the trucks - sometimes when they’re just starting them to pull them outside.”
The hose that fits over the exhaust is hooked to an overhead track, Jenkins said.
“The vacuum motor starts when the truck starts,” Jenkins explained. “The hose follows the truck down the track until it leaves the station, then the hose is popped loose by a pneumatic connection.”
Steven Connallon is sales manager at Plymovent, an international company based in New Jersey, which sells the systems. He said the technology has been around morethan 20 years.
A slow recognition of the problems of diesel fumes, and limited budgets, kept the systems out of the public eye until recent grant programs came along, Connallon said.
“There are about 38,000 fire departments across the nation, and about 50 percenthave this type of system,” Connallon said. “Primarily, it was proportionally the larger, paid fire departments. But as the grant program has been in place, it’s began to trickle down to the volunteer fire departments.”
He said he doesn’t know how one would rate the device’s effectiveness.
“Obviously, exposure to diesel fumes is harmful,” Connallon said. “What we do know is that exposure to diesel fumes is the top cause of cancer among firefighters and former firefighters. Studies by the International Association of Firefighters and the University of Cincinnati have shown that.
“But how many lives you save is something you’d like to be able to put your finger on, but you really can’t.”
Jenkins said he will approach city officials about whether the department will have to obtain bids for the equipment and installation.
The chief said the new devices should be installed in all seven stations within 90 days.
Assistance to Firefighters Grants are awarded to fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical service organizations fortraining, equipment, personal protective equipment, wellness and fitness, and health and safety modifications to stations and facilities. In addition, funds go toward fire trucks, ambulances and other vehicles and equipment, according to a news release.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 14 on 07/30/2010