York Town News
Grant allows YBFD firefighters to breathe easier
By Jennifer L. Saunders
York Beach Fire Capt. David Osgood, right, stands with local resident and volunteer firefighter Bill Farrell, who wrote a grant proposal that paid off in the form of a new system in place at the station to protect the air quality for those who literally live there when they're on call for work. The new Plymovent system can been seen attached to one of the department's rescue vehicles.
Photo by Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK BEACH - The professional and volunteer firefighters who staff the York Beach Fire Department can now breathe a little easier, thanks to a grant secured by one of their own.
That's because the York Beach station now has a Plymovent system installed in its vehicle bays, taking toxic diesel exhaust fumes up into a system of piping and vents.
Those fumes are now safely removed from the sleeping quarters of the three full-time firefighters, Captains Mark Gay, Dave Osgood and Ferris Boardman, and from the many volunteers and community members who use the station for such activities as Boy Scouts or department meetings.
And, Osgood said, it's all thanks to Lewiston Firefighter Bill Farrell - who also happens to be one of York Beach's volunteer firefighters when he's not at work on his full-time job.
During his enrollment at Southern Maine Community College, pursuing his dream of becoming a professional firefighter, Farrell was tasked with creating a grant proposal for one of his courses on fire department administration.
"We weren't required to submit the grant, but I figured as long as I was going to do it, I might as well," Farrell said, standing with Osgood next to Rescue Unit 1 under the system of yellow hoses and pipes now in place in the station.
The Plymovent system attaches to the exhaust pipes of the apparatus - which are often required to be left running at the station due to the on-call nature of the job - and keeps the exhaust fumes from entering the air.
Osgood said the installation of this system is very important to local firefighters as prolonged exposure to diesel exhaust has been linked to certain forms of cancer. And when they're on duty, they are at the station unless a call comes out, Osgood confirmed, as shifts for the town's full-time firefighters consist of 24 hours on duty and 48 hours off duty.
The system was installed last month, Osgood said.
"I would like to see one in place in the Village station as well," he said, where three additional full-time captains are in place on staggered shifts and where more of the town's volunteers gather to be ready if the need to respond to an accident or fire arises.
Farrell's grant award was $49,000, and it took about 18 months from the time he submitted the application to having the system installed in the station.
"It makes a big difference," Osgood said of the quality of the air in the residential quarters of the station and the community meeting rooms also located there.
As a volunteer with the York Beach Fire Department for five years, Farrell said he is glad he was able to help his fellow firefighters through the grant.
