MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – A $200,000 federal grant awarded to Myrtle Beach Fire Rescue will help fund installation of exhaust capture system devices in fire stations.
The city reports that the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) from FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency provided the fire department with approximately $200,000 in grant funding to install exhaust capture systems in five of the city’s six fire stations. Station No. 6 was ineligible for the grant due to being a newer station, according to a post on the city’s Facebook page.
The devices are designed to remove nearly 100 percent of the cancer-causing products in diesel exhaust. The new systems will provide clean air for firefighters and visitors to the fire stations.
The city pays a 10 percent local match for the Plymovent USA devices, which will be installed by Air Cleaning Systems Inc., located in Raleigh, North Carolina. City officials say installation will take about a week for each station.
The devices are installed in the bays of firehouses. Each system has a long hose that connects to a vehicle’s exhaust pipe. Fire crews will connect the hose when a vehicle arrives at the station. The dangerous fumes are sent to a vent on the roof of the building. When crews are responding to another call, there’s no manual removal needed. As the trucks leave the bay, the magnetic connection disengages and the hose disconnects.
