Garnett Fire Chief, Wes Skillman, says 2024 was a very busy year for the Garnett Fire Department. The best news is the number of house fires went down. He says they strived to get smoke detectors in homes that didn’t have them. The department visited local schools to teach kids about fire safety and they will continue to bring education to the schools and to the community.
The Garnett Fire Department has been selected for two grants. One for purchasing two thermal imaging cameras, which aid in firefighting, situational awareness, locating hot spots and assisting with search and rescue. The second grant will allow the department to replace all of their self-contained breathing apparatus. The ones they have now are near the end of their life cycle. All the new equipment should begin arriving in February. The total funds received from these grants was $197,000. Skillman says without grants like these, small fire departments like Garnett’s would not be able to purchase new safety equipment.
