Jul 21, 2016 3 min read

JEFFERSON – A few thousand dollars can go a long way to helping volunteer fire departments in rural areas fight brush fires.

Jefferson Volunteer Fire Co. is matching a $1,536 volunteer fire assistance grant it just received from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to buy essential equipment needed to contain brush fires that are prevalent during spring and autumn in Greene County.

The total sum of $3,072 will allow the fire department to purchase leaf blowers, chainsaws, specialized helmets and “bladder bags” to store on its 1973 International brush truck.

“I always felt that was an overlooked part of the fire service,” said Brian Wise, a first assistant chief with Jefferson and also a volunteer state forest fire warden. “People often say, ‘It’s just a brush fire.’ But they’re dangerous. Many fire trucks have been lost during these brush fires (in Greene County).”

They can be especially dangerous if firefighters don’t have the proper equipment to attack them and build fire lines to keep them from spreading.

Lee Jordan, a fire inspector with DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry based at Forbes State Forest in Fayette County, said outdated equipment such as chainsaws can injure firefighters if not handled properly.

“Chainsaws are a big problem,” Jordan said. “They’re sometimes more dangerous than the fires. It’s totally different cutting a burning tree than it is firewood.”

Jefferson was the only fire department in Greene County this year to receive the federal grant distributed through the DCNR. More than $571,000 was distributed to 142 fire companies across the state, DCNR forest program specialist Charlie Choplick said. The grant program, which was called the rural community fire grant when it began in 1982, gave more than $12 million to volunteer fire departments since its inception, Choplick said.

The equipment will be owned by Jefferson firefighters, but they often assist neighboring departments, so it will be used to help other communities in Greene County.

“We do a lot of mutual aid,” said Joe Petek, a first lieutenant and the department’s treasurer. “It will predominately be for us, but anyone who calls us we’ll help.”

The need for assistance from area firefighters was illustrated in April when a sprawling forest fire devoured 400 acres of Forbes State Forest in Fayette County over seven days. The fire service needed two water bombers, a helicopter and dozens of firefighters – including Jordan and Wise – to eventually contain the blaze.

Something as simple as a leaf blower can help firefighters work more efficiently and keep a brush fire from turning into something more devastating, Wise said.

“It’s very important, especially the leaf blowers. It can affect the fire line. Instead of digging it with shovels and rakes, you can blow things, such as leaves and branches, out of the way.”

Wise and Petek said although the department is financially stable, they wouldn’t be able to buy the equipment without the grant to help its matching portion.

“We’re well off, but it also takes a lot of capital to feed it,” Petek said.

“It’s a big machine to feed,” Wise added.