Over the past few years, the Fulton budget has been slashed to the bare minimum throughout city's departments.

Fulton Assistant Fire Chief David Eiffe knows all too well the struggle that the small city's nearly 12,000 residents face.

The fire department employs 34 career firefighters. The department's tight budget only allows about 3 percent for equipment and maintenance.

Eiffe says the crew has come to rely heavily on FEMA's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program to replace and upgrade its equipment.

The department has been applying for FGA funding for the last 14 years and has been successful twice.

One grant allowed the department to acquire new self-contained breathing apparatuses for firefighters.

The most recent award Fulton received in 2012 helped the department purchase a new engine -- that came in at $350,000.

Right now the department has two ladder trucks that are both more than 25 years old.

One is completely inoperable -- the second one, is facing mechanical issues of its own, forcing these firefighters to change the way they respond to calls.

"This would move to a backup piece more, and only run out when it's necessary," Eiffe explained. "You could justify an engine running out on calls that don't require an elevated platform."

On average, Eiffe says the department responds to more than 2,200 calls and about 75 percent of them are medical-based.

In the most recent grant narrative Eiffe submitted to the FGA

"If we're able to apply and do some homework and reach out and try and get these grants, it actually helps the city and the taxpayers," Eiffe said. "Along with increasing our safety and our ability to perform our jobs better because of the equipment."

Eiffe says he has about $1 million in grant applications out in hopes that even one will be accepted and awarded. 

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The New Longon truck will allow the fire department to continue fire coverage for the eight communities -- 2100 properties -- it serves. 

The new fire truck has some great improvements:

Upgrades include more automation, more seats, and a bigger water tank that can pump out almost 4,000 litres -- or 1,000 gallons -- per minute.

Foam, which is used on fuel and vehicle fires, is easier to access with the truck's new computerized foam controls. 

The truck features new hands-free communication equipment. 

There is also better lighting and better storage.

For more information, view www.cbc.ca

A recently acquired fire truck was dedicated to the late Bud Broeker, a longtime volunteer at the Kempner Volunteer Fire Department, during a ceremony Sunday.

"Bud came to this area in 1998, and he became a member of the fire department (who) we are really going to miss," Fire Chief Dewey Owen said at the ceremony. "He brought so many skills to help us over the years, like using his computer skills to help set up the programs we use at the annual barbecue auction."

The "new" fire truck is actually a 1995 model, but it is replacing a 1981 model.

"We can't afford a brand-new truck, since those tend to run around half a million dollars," Owen said. "But this one actually came from Louisiana, and we got it for around $40,000."

The wife of Bud Broeker, Teddy, was in attendance Sunday, along with their son and his family.

During the ceremony, KVFD had a special surprise waiting for Teddy Broeker. After the official dedication, Owen invited her to the front and asked her to pull down a small piece of wood, which revealed the words "In memory of Bud Broeker," painted on both sides of the truck's cab.

The fire truck will officially enter service Feb. 1. The truck it is replacing may be sold for parts, as many pieces it currently needs to replace are no longer manufactured.

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Patients needing important medical treatments such as kidney dialysis are being transported by fire truck and the National Guard as snow-covered roads continue to create hazardous driving conditions.

In Baltimore for example, the fire department and National Guard are traveling down rough roads to pick up patients and take them to Maryland Transit Administration vehicles, said spokesman Howard Libit.

The coordination is part of an ongoing effort to help city residents facing health challenges during the storm, Libit said. During the height of the blizzard, Libit said patients who did not need to be stabilized on stretchers were transported to hospitals in fire engines. In advance of the storm, city officials worked with dialysis patients to schedule any Saturday appointments on Friday.

Officials with the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said the agency has asked providers to alert them about high-risk patients who need specialized medical services, said spokesman Chris Garrett. The providers coordinated with patients on Thursday and Friday to mitigate the need to get treatment in the immediate aftermath of the storm, he said.

For more information, view www.baltimoresun.com