Coplay firefighters can breathe easier. New air packs are coming.

Fire Chief Matthew Buskaritz announced recently the department will receive a $75,000 FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) grant, which will be used to purchase 11 new air packs and cylinders.

"That provides us our breathing air for when we go in a hazardous situation, where you don't really want to breathe the air that's there," Burkaritz said.

This is especially important because so many materials, such as plastics, give off toxic gas when burned.

"I don't want to breathe the air a block away let alone be right there," he said.

There's actually nothing wrong with the air packs the department has. But the new ones come with technology to make the firefighters' jobs easier. For example, an indicator on the new ones lets others know how much air is in a particular pack. On the older ones, only the firefighter wearing the pack knew how much air he had, said Buskaritz. Having this information available makes it easier for firefighters to help each other and make decisions when fighting fires.

Air packs cost about $5,000 apiece, he said.

Buskaritz said the fire department found out in early August it won the grant.

"We do it every year," he said.

The fire department is adept at getting grants.

Buskaritz said firefighters have received federal and state grants every year since 2006. The total funding received is about $400,000.

The biggest grant was a few years ago when the department received a $270,000 grant for a new fire truck. The borough pitched in the remaining $30,000.

Most grants, he said, require a 5-percent match. In the case of the air packs, the firefighters will actually receive the $71,250 and must pay $3,750 toward the air packs.

FEMA will make sure the money is spent as delineated on the grant application which, for this most recent grant, went in Nov. 18.

The grant application is no simple thing, said the chief's wife, Christine, who handles submitting them.

"They want to know all the demographics of the department," she said. This includes how many people are on the roster, how many calls they answer, where the money for their budget comes from and how it's spent.

In addition, the grant applications include several "narratives," she said.

"You can't just put a couple words in, hit submit and expect to get the money," Christine Buskaritz said.

"The bigger the amount, the more they're going to ask," said the chief.

"FEMA's very particular," he said. "They will make sure you use every drop of cash for the intended purpose. You cannot use it for anything else."

Despite the number of steps required to get grants, it's all worth it.

"It's a big help," Matthew Buskaritz said, "a huge financial relief."

The fire department does not have a lot of money to spend on equipment. In fact, less than $10,000 annually is budgeted, he said.

The state grants provide smaller amounts than FEMA but are still worth it, the Buskaritzes said.

The Buskaritzes said they have been applying for grants since they found out the grant money was available.

"We saw that there was money available that we could apply for," said Matthew Buskaritz. "Let's try it. Nothing to lose."