Mono buys bunker gear dryer for firefighters

May 22, 2025 · 0 Comments

Written By JAMES MATTHEWS

It’s nice when a grant-bestowing body reaches out to see if there’s anything else a municipality needs because more money could be made available.

That’s what happened to Mono with the Rosemont District Fire Department.

A transfer payment agreement was signed in January between Mono and the Fire Marshall’s Office. That was for $8,230.43 to cover the cost of a Ram Gear dryer for firefighters. The dryer would remove carcinogenic contaminants from bunker gear worn by the Rosemont firefighters.

The grant was received and the dryer was bought.

But then the Fire Marshall’s Office contacted Rosemont Fire Chief Mike Blacklaws and informed him that some money from surplus funds was still available, so additional funds could be sent if the municipality sent a letter of intent.

Les Halucha, the town’s treasurer, said a letter of intent was sent and the fire department was approved for an additional $361.73.

Another transfer agreement has to be signed to receive the money, Halucha said.

“I figure any amount of money is good,” he said.

Mayor John Creelman suggested council give the necessary bylaws for transferring their readings to get the money.

Deputy Mayor Fred Nix said there was an incident about a decade ago in which a truck had gone into water and its diesel fuel leaked into the water. Firefighters went into the mix as part of their response to the incident.

“As I remember it, we had to throw that gear out,” Nix said. “We couldn’t get the diesel out of it.”

He asked if such a dryer would have saved those bunker suits.

Councillor Melinda Davie, a member of a fire board, said it costs about $8,300 for an outfit of bunker gear for a firefighter.

“They’re very valuable and you don’t really want to get them wrecked,” she said. “The cleaning of the diesel is a separate issue than drying the equipment. And the longer that it takes to dry is a problem as well. It doesn’t actually clean them but it dries them.”

“It’s so nice of the government to give us $361 more,” Coun. Elaine Capes said. “Why couldn’t they just give it to us instead of costing us how many thousands of dollars to process it?”

Of course, the infusion of money is appreciated, Capes said. Cancer is something that every measure should be taken to prevent.

“And that’s what we want,” Capes said. “We want to keep our firefighters healthy while they do a job to protect us.”