100-24 Exhibit A-Delta Fire Safety HGAC.pdf

i | | | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE West Orange Fire Department Receives Assistance to Firefighters Grant Award West Orange, NJ—June 20, 2023 — The West Orange Fire Department (WOFD) has been awarded a FY2022 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (USDHS} in the amount of $41,374.69 for the purchase of 3 Commercial Gear Washer/Extractor Machines and 3 Mobile Gear Dryers to be installed in the 3 fire stations currently without this equipment. Cancer is the most dangerous threat to firefighter health and safety today. Cancer caused 66 percent of the career firefighter line-of-duty deaths from 2002 to 2019, according to data from the International Association of Fire Fighters {IAFF}. NFPA 1851 “Standard on Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting” dictates how and when the WOFD maintains personal protective equipment for their personnel. “Ensembles and ensemble elements shall be evaluated by the wearer ora designated individual within the organization for application of preliminary exposure reduction, cleaning, disinfection, or sanitization after each use based on the guidance provided”. The WOFD has policies and procedures in place to maintain compliance with this standard, however, the insufficient number of machines needed for the decontamination process has always presented a challenge. “We are extremely pleased that FEMA once again recognized our needs with this award”, said West Orange Fire Chief Anthony Vecchia. “While issuing a second set of gear to all personnel is the idea recommendation for cancer prevention in the fire service, the cost has been deemed prohibitive. Another option is to have readily available equipment at each station for personnel to be able to safely remove containments from their gear immediately following an incident. The convenience of having a washer/extractor and dryer in each of our fire stations will certainly help bridge this gap and support policy compliance”. The AFG program requires a 10% match from the award recipient. The West Orange Township Council will be presented with a resolution to accept the award and to fund the 10% match. The West Orange Fire Department is a multi-faceted public safety agency located in Essex County, New Jersey. WOFD provides fire protection, hazard mitigation, emergency

ard and to fund the 10% match. The West Orange Fire Department is a multi-faceted public safety agency located in Essex County, New Jersey. WOFD provides fire protection, hazard mitigation, emergency medical services, fire prevention education and fire code enforcement to the community of West Orange and its neighboring mutual aid communities. Department Media Contact: Fire Chief Anthony A. Vecchio West Orange Fire Department (973) 325-4185 firechief@westorange.org www.westorange.org HH