ROME TOWNSHIP- Ask any volunteer firefighter and they will tell you, the list of needs is always huge, but the budget to pay for even the most pressing necessities is usually skimpy at best.

That is why grant monies are such a welcome commodity.

The Rome Township Volunteer Fire Department is getting $207,234 in federal Firefighter Investment and Response Enhancement (FIRE) Act monies to help purchase equipment and pay for health screenings and other necessities for firefighters.

Fire department deputy chief and public information officer Mike Boster said the federal monies, coupled with a local match of

$23,026, will be used for a variety of needs, the most pressing of which is at least 10 sets of turnout gear and breathing packs for firefighters.

"We have a number of sets of turnout gear and SCBAs (self-contained breathing apparatus) that were in terrible need of replacement," Boster said. "It was quite a big expense to do all of this at the same time. This money comes at a good time for us."

The grant money will also be used to purchase communications equipment, nozzles and other equipment related to hoses, a foam pro pack, basic rescue equipment, hazmat containment items, turnout gear for fighting wild fires and equipment for a rapid intervention team.

"The purpose here is not just for us to have new equipment just for us but to have equipment for other departments to take advantage of on a mutual aid basis," Boster said.

The rest of the money would also be used for a wellness and fitness program for Rome Township firefighters, including job-related immunizations, such as hepatitis, and health screenings.

"The number one cause of death for firefighters is heart attack," Boster said.

The FIRE Act the work of

Ohio's

U.S. Sen., Mike DeWine (R-Ohio).

"This is good news for the residents of Proctorville and the Rome Township Volunteer Fire Department," DeWine said. "Firefighters and rescue workers deserve the best possible training and equipment so they can save lives. By working to pass and fund the FIRE Act, we have ensured that fire departments in Ohio and elsewhere will have first responders who are prepared for any rescue."

DeWine said 2004 fiscal year appropriations for the FIRE Act nationwide amounted to $750 million.