Fannin County EMA received an Assistance to Firefighters Grant for COVID-19 response from the federal government totaling $96,285.39, of which the county will put in $8,753.22 as a match.
“I’d like to especially thank Bill Brown, who did most of the writing of the grant, and Patrick Cooke, who assisted him with it, for getting the grant submitted,” EMA Director Robert Graham said.
The department will use the funds to purchase sanitation supplies and equipment, personal protective equipment for volunteers and paid fire and EMS employees and three AeroClave machines, which can sanitize an entire ambulance in approximately 15 minutes following COVID-19 exposure.
“We have one (AeroClave machine) at this time, and all four stations are having to come to the station in Blue Ridge to share that one unit,” Graham said. “Every time one of our ambulances transports a patient that they suspect has COVID-19, they have to come to the station in Blue Ridge, they have to go out of service for whatever length of time it takes and then sanitize before they’re back in service.”
The Board of Commissioners voted to approve the grant.
“Spend a dime, get a dollar,” Chairman Stan Helton said in reference to the 10% county match.
The board also voted to conditionally approve the spending of $265,020 in CARES Act funds to purchase four mechanical CPR devices and six cardiac monitors for the EMA department. These devices are needed because the department’s current equipment is nearing the end of their lifespan.
According to Graham, the company will provide one of the CPR devices for free, reducing the cost by $14,220, due to the department purchasing six cardiac monitors.
The purchase was approved on the condition the equipment is approved under a grant guarantee, however they acknowledged that the equipment would need to be purchased either way.
The board is also exploring providing hazard pay to certain employees in law enforcement, fire, EMS and EMA.
Helton received a letter from ACCG and the Governor’s office, and explained that the county “appears to be eligible for 100% reimbursement if we were to have hazard pay for all those first responders.”
Helton said, “There would be a number of things we’d need to talk about on this. First of all, how much would we want to do? I think basically doing a one-shot hazard pay instead of worrying about having to do it every week would be very simple, and this would be something that your folks could look forward to receive.”
The board advised Graham and County Clerk Sherri Walker to work with other department heads and create a list of employees and volunteer firefighters who are affected by hazardous situations due to COVID-19. Helton estimated around 100 people who could be eligible.
“I think we need to get all the money from the federal government we can get as long as there’s no strings attached,” Post One Commissioner Earl Johnson said.
Post Two Commissioner Glenn Patterson agreed, stating, “I think that would be a great thing for us to be able to get funds for that.”
The board discussed potentially making a final decision later this week during a teleconference.