Residents of the northeastern part of Warren County are getting a significant upgrade in their fire protection.

The Richardsville Volunteer Fire Department, which covers a 126-square-mile area with six fire stations and 41 firefighters, recently received new equipment through a Federal Emergency Management Agency Assistance to Firefighters Grant.

Using the $139,048 grant and a $7,000 match from the fire department, the Richardsville VFD purchased 24 new self-contained breathing apparatus units that include air tanks and masks with the latest technology. The new equipment also includes two masks with built-in thermal imaging and two “pack tracker” devices that will allow for electronic tracking of a firefighter who is incapacitated.

Jennifer Schmidt, who has been writing grants under contract with Warren County Fiscal Court since 2015, said this is the largest fire department grant the county has received in her memory. The Assistance to Firefighters grant program is highly competitive, Schmidt said, with an estimated $310 million to be awarded this year out of applications for $2.1 billion.

“We’re really excited that Richardsville got it,” Schmidt said of the grant. “They definitely have a big area to cover, and their run totals are increasing.”

Curtis Vincent, a lieutenant with the Richardsville VFD, said the department responded to 1,173 fires or emergencies last year. He only expects that number to rise with the county’s increase in population, so he welcomes the new equipment.

“We’ll be able to equip all six of our trucks,” Vincent said. “These new packs are lighter, and they fit your back better so there’s less strain on your back.”

Vincent said the new packs also have voice amplifiers that will enhance communication among firefighters.

Richardsville firefighter Daniel Lorchak has tried out the new equipment, and he likes the features.

“It’s more top-of-the-line,” Lorchak said. “The pack has a quicker release to change bottles, and they’re easier on our shoulders. They also hold more air, so it enhances breathing time.”

Vincent said the FEMA grant is on top of a $22,000 Kentucky Homeland Security grant and a $5,000 Georgia-Pacific Bucket Brigade grant the department received last year to help with equipment purchases.

Such funding is needed, Vincent said, as the Richardsville VFD continues to add trucks and locations in an effort to cover a large area. He said adding new stations has helped lower insurance rates for homeowners in the area.

With funding the county’s volunteer fire departments a big priority, Schmidt said she is pursuing three more federal grants that could help purchase the latest SCBA equipment.

“This equipment is very expensive,” she said. “The SCBA gear is the most important piece of equipment for firefighters.”