Libby Volunteer Fire Department awarded $50,000 equipment grant

The Libby Volunteer Fire Department was recently awarded a $50,000 grant to help purchase new equipment.

The grant will be applied to the purchase of updated radio equipment and turn-out or “bunker gear” gear that firefighters wear when fighting fires, Fire Chief Tom Wood said via email.

“It costs about $2,000 for the gear per member,” Wood wrote. “The supplier sent a rep to measure all the firefighters last week. The order is placed and (it) will be a few weeks for delivery.”

The radio equipment will be ordered soon, he said.

Wood said the city and the Lincoln County Rural Fire District will cover about $20,000 of costs beyond what the grant will cover.