LIBERTY — The township’s fire chief noted the importance of being meticulous in grant applications, as he reported the department is going after funds to upgrade equipment.

Fire Chief Doug Theobald, as part of his report at Monday’s trustees meeting, said June is grant-writing month for the fire department, and fire officials are in the process of working with a “very knowledgeable” grant writer who has sat on the peer review committee.

“He knows the yeses and nos, the ‘T’s and the ‘I’ — and we’ve been working with him, I can’t even think of how many hours we’ve written and submitted it, rewritten it and sent it back,” Theobald said. “This is a huge grant, this is $270,000 for the air packs — we need to be sure this has the greatest opportunity to get through the peer review.”

Theobald said if an application gets through the peer review, a department stands a “very good chance” of getting a grant.

“It’s usually you’re eliminated for some deficiency before you get to the next level,” Theobald said.

Theobald said fire officials are using the grant writer’s expertise to continue drafting documents, and they’re now in the final stages and are waiting on some information before sending the application forward.

Theobald said Tuesday afternoon that the information mainly consists of historical data, budget information explaining the need and potential benefits, run volume and community statistics from receiving the grant — all compiled into a multifaceted narrative.

Theobald said many people have input on the document, and he’s awaiting financial information from Fiscal Officer Matthew Connelly.

Theobald said the township is retaining the grant writer, confirming that they had some sort of contract with them.

“There’s a set-aside amount for grants that his people are (paid through). As in all grant writers, there’s two aspects to the grant writer,” Theobald said. “First is the initial helping you get the grant written, and then if you’re successful, there’s an additional payment for being successful.”

Theobald said he’s also submitted a grant application to Norfolk Southern for 13 air bottles, totaling $13,700, and he’s awaiting its response.

“It’s my understanding, if you didn’t get the ‘You’re up’ email right away, you stand a good chance of getting a grant,” Theobald said.

INCREASED CALLS

Theobald also told trustees the fire department was ahead of last year’s run total of 3,700.

“With the exception of February, we’re running 330 to 341 (runs) a month, so as of the end of May, we’re already at 1,300 runs for the year,” Theobald said. “And climbing.”

Theobald said he attributed the boost in runs to two new facilities in the community, which generate 30-plus runs a month.

Theobald said the fire department’s additional staffing, thanks to trustees, has allowed the department to keep up with the call volume and stay under control, also noting that they’ve actually provided more mutual aid.