Albany Fire Dept. secures $880K for cancer prevention equipment

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Albany Fire Department recently secured $880,000 for equipment that will save lives.

It’s designed to prevent firefighters from breathing in toxic chemicals. This new equipment will be installed in all 11 stations.

Albany Fire Department Deputy Chief Sebon Burns said the Assistance to Firefighters Grant was difficult to secure, but the department is thrilled it’s finally here.

“As a profession, we have to do everything we can to minimize the chances of our firefighters getting cancer. It was long overdue and we’re just so proud that it was a total team effort,” Burns said.

Burns said this will help keep their staff healthy in the short and long terms.

Safety, Burns pointed out, is much improved from when he joined the fire department more than 30 years ago.

“It’s a high-tech piece of equipment. If you look at it, it seems simple. You have a hose that goes into the exhaust. It stays in there and the omissions go straight through the hose and go out of the system. As you pull out, responding to a call, it actually disconnects itself.”

Burns wants the exhaust system and future investments to help with recruiting.

“We get firefighters understanding coming into the organization, our biggest deal is making sure you get home safe to your family. Our vehicles, we design our vehicles much differently than a few years ago,” Burns said.

The equipment isn’t installed yet. There will be a process of buying and then installing.

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