BLUEFIELD, WV (WOAY) – The Bluefield Fire Department received a grant from West Virginia American Water.
The Firefighting Support Grant Program is a grant given to various fire departments each year. The $1,000 grant is going to be used to purchase new flame resistant hoods for the fire department.
According to the Bluefield Fire Chief Adrian Conner, these new hoods help prevent against not only burns, but also cancer by providing a barrier between the skin and cancer-causing chemicals found in structure fires.
“If one hood can prevent one firefighter from getting cancer down the road, then that hood was worth, y’know it’s like gold at that point. So it’s just preventive stuff that we can do to make our jobs safer.”
The flame-resistant particulate barrier hoods cost roughly $100 each.
