The Morro Bay Fire Department recently got more than $100,000 in federal grants to buy new equipment used during times of emergency.
According to a news release, the fire department received an $85,000 grant through the American Rescue Plan Act, which allocated monies to state and local governments in response to the coronavirus pandemic response, which in Spring 2020, shut down most of the economy in the early days of the worldwide health emergency.
The $1.9 trillion ARPA, which was pushed through Congress in February 2021 and signed into law by President Biden that March, was supposed to speed up the country’s recovery from the economic and health effects of the pandemic.
MBFD purchased two, Zoll X Series 12 lead EKG monitors, to replace two older technology monitors. It will outfit all response vehicles with the most current patient diagnostic technology.
The Fire Department also got a $25,000 grant through the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant and the California Nuclear Power Preparedness (NPP) Program to buy three handheld radios.
The multi-band radios, “can transmit and receive on any public safety communication frequency including the VHF, UHF and 800 MHz frequency ranges,” according to the news release. “This is intended to enhance responder safety by improving communications capabilities of emergency responders within Diablo Canyon’s Emergency Planning Zones.”
Fire Chief Dan McCrain said, “These purchases will improve our ability to provide emergency medical care to the community and ability to respond to emergencies.”