The South Amboy Fire Department has received four sets of much needed turnout gear.
The department’s application was selected from more than 550 applications across North America in the 2015 Globe Gear Giveaway.
The competition was sponsored by Globe Manufacturing Co., DuPont Protection Technologies and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC).
This is the fourth year that Globe has partnered with DuPont and NVFC to provide volunteer departments with critically needed sets of turnout gear.
“Turnout gear has a life span of 10 years,” said Fire Chief Michael Geraltowski, adding that the department’s last major purchase of turnout gear was 12 years ago. Geraltowski said the new gear is very much needed due to the cost of the gear. He noted the new turnout gear does not include boots or helmets. He said the department is additionally looking to get a federal grant to help replace the old gear.
To be eligible to apply for the four sets of new Globe turnout gear, departments had to be all volunteer or mostly volunteer; serve a population of 25,000 or less; be legally organized in the United States or Canada; demonstrate a need for the gear; and be a member of the NVFC.
The South Amboy Fire Department is comprised of 150 volunteer firefighters who respond to an average of 320 calls per year. The department’s small budget is earmarked for maintenance of its 10 apparatus and vehicles as well as pump, ladder, and for hose testing.
The last gear purchase in 2007 only provided 25 new sets of gear. Over 80 sets of the current gear are more than 10 years old.
Included in their application, fire officials explained that a major residential development of 1,800 units is currently being developed in South Amboy, which will essentially double the town’s population and further stretch the budget and resources of the department.
Despite these limitations, the department responds to mutual aid requests to neighboring towns, which account for 30 percent of responses.
Some 52 sets of turnout gear have been distributed to departments this year through the Globe Gear Giveaway Program.