Trio of Upper Valley Fire Districts Receive FEMA Grant

Three local fire districts, Chelan County Fire District 3, 6 and Lake Wenatchee Fire and Rescue (LWFR), secured the FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant. The funding is $722,000 and will help provide the fire districts 101 self-contained breathing apparatus - equipment that can come with a steep price tag.

"It provides us fresh air in a toxic or hazardous environment," said Chief Mick Lamar for LWFR. "It'll be able to bring us all up to code."

District 6 serves the Monitor, Peshastin and Dryden area, District 3 serves the city of Leavenworth and LWFR serves 60 miles from East Stevens Pass to Chiwaukum and Lake Wenatchee north to White River Road along with encompassing services for Plain, Chiwawa River Pines, Fish Lake, Ponderosa, and to the top of Beaver Valley Hill.

"We'll have masks that fit all of the firefighters, spare cylinders, we'll now have breathing apparatus and it brings us up to state of the art personal protective equipment as far as respiratory equipment for firefighters," said Chief Lamar.