Botetourt Fire and EMS get grant for diesel exhaust removal from stations
Botetourt County Fire & EMS has received a grant of $222,309 for diesel exhaust removal systems at three of the county’s fire and EMS stations, the Board of Supervisors learned at the April 25, 2023 meeting. The meeting was held at the Botetourt County Administration Center at Greenfield in Amsterdam.
In order to receive the grant and fully implement the systems, the county needed to add a match of $49,841. The Supervisors unanimously approved the funding.
The new diesel exhaust removal systems would be placed at the Buchanan and Read Mountain stations. Additionally, a portion of the Blue Ridge station that does not have these components would receive them, Fire Chief Jason Ferguson told the Board.
Exposure to toxic gases and particulate is linked to cancer and other debilitating diseases in firefighters and emergency service workers. Diesel exhaust fumes are a major concern and many localities utilize some type of exhaust removal to enhance firefighter safety and health.
Occupationally acquired cancers are among the top three causes of firefighter death and disability, Ferguson’s memorandum to the Supervisors said.
The implementation of diesel exhaust removal systems in apparatus bays helps reduce cancer risks to firefighters and emergency services crews. Over the past three decades, these removal systems have been implemented throughout the country and around the world to ensure for cleaner air in facilities.
Ferguson told the Supervisors that the Troutville Fire Department utilizes a vehicular mounted filtration system. The remaining departments, Fincastle, Eagle Rock, and Glen Wilton, have no filtration systems at this time.
Additional grants to put diesel exhaust removal systems in those stations are available, and the county is working to obtain that funding, Ferguson said.
The Supervisors also declared May 21-27 as Emergency Medical Services Week.
— Anita Firebaugh, Special to The Botetourt Bee
