By Norma Dittman
Fulda Free Press staff writer
At the Slayton Fire Hall is a brand new commercial washer/extractor that will be of great benefit to all fire fighters in Murray County. The machine was purchased through a Minnesota Fire Department Turnout Gear Washer/Extractor Award Program grant.
The grant was awarded to the Murray County Firefighters Association in the amount of $8,317.32. Each of the six fire departments in Murray County (Chandler, Currie, Dovray, Fulda, Lake Wilson and Slayton) contributed $199.50 to complete the purchase of the washer/extractor and purchase soap for the machine. Local fire departments are required to provide a grant match amount that is based on the population of the applicant’s fire department coverage area.
“Initially, I had written a grant application in 2015 for a washer/extractor for just the Fulda Fire Department,” grant
writer Fulda Fire Department Chief David Baumhoefner stated. “However, we were not selected for that grant. In 2016, after visiting with the other Murray County fire department chiefs, I wrote the grant application for all of the departments. There are 150 fire fighters throughout Murray County. I believe that combined number helped us earn the grant funds.”
Chief Baumhoefner submitted the grant application to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety in early October. “I was notified already on November 11, 2016, that we had we were being awarded grant monies,”
Having worked with Jefferson Fire and Safety previously to purchase new turn-out gear, Baumhoefner contacted the company and the process was begun for the purchase of the new UniMac washer/extractor.
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