The Guilford Fire Department this month was awarded a $445,000 federal grant to replace vital breathing apparatus equipment, winning out in a competitive grant process as the town was close to having to pay for the replacements itself.

Assistant Fire Chief Mike Shove said the approximately 70 air packs, which allow firefighters to breathe safely while navigating all sorts of hazardous conditions, were purchased in 2006. These units were scheduled to be replaced in the next couple years though the town’s capital funding program as they neared the end of their usable life, according to Shove.

The grant will cover 90 percent of the cost to replace the units, Shove said.

“So instead of paying 100 percent in capital, we’re paying 10 percent,” Shove said.

Shove said that Guilford, applying through a federal program called the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG), had to compete with municipalities across the country. Only three Connecticut cities received a larger grant amount than Guilford—Bridgeport, West Haven, and Danbury.

The Guilford Fire Department did not, and historically has not, hired grant writers or other professionals when seeking out these grants, and the application process in this case was handled by two of the town’s firefighters, Captain Clint Haverkampf and Captain Brian Manware.

“Kudos to...Captain Havercamp and Captain Manware,” Shove said. “In the grants world, the better picture you paint, the greater chance of you getting a grant.”

Shove said this is the way they like to do it, being able to control their own narratives and depending on the expertise within the department.

“We normally do everything ourselves here at Guilford Fire,” Shove said with a laugh.

Financial and practical stress from the pandemic and details about the age and use of current equipment figured into the application, according to Shove.

Guilford’s approach has seemingly been very effective. Shove said the department has received at least one other grant in past years through AFG without hiring any outside help.

The new packs, which will be phased in over the course of about 12 months, are upgrades in a sense, according to Shove, meeting updated standards of industry safety.

In a release from the town, First Selectman Matt Hoey lauded the work of Haverkamp and Manware.

“We are thrilled to receive this grant which will be used for essential firefighting equipment and avoid costs in upcoming budgets,” Hoey wrote.