The Delanson Fire Company has purchased 10 self-contained breathing apparatuses using funds Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara helped secure.

Santabarbara, Fire Chief Kevin Morrison and other volunteer firefighters will demonstrate how to use the new lifesaving equipment during a press conference set for 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, at the fire department located at 1797 Main St. in the village of Delanson.

“Thanks to this funding, the Delanson Fire Company was able to replace outdated equipment that is critical to the safety of the volunteer firefighters who protect and serve this community’s residents,” Assemblyman Santabarbara said.

Following the demonstration, Santabarbara will make an announcement pertaining to an additional investment secured through the state Assembly intended to help the department fight wildfires in rural communities.

With the support and assistance of Santabarbara’s office, the fire company secured an Assistance to Firefighters Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency worth $53,953, which allowed for the purchase of the self-contained breathing apparatuses, also called SCBAs. The equipment’s total cost was $56,650.

The SCBAs are equipped with distress signals that enable a firefighter to signal for help, but they also allow a comrade to provide oxygen from his or her own cylinder.

“This new equipment will take the place of 23-year-old gear whose straps were falling off and that used heavy steel packs that we had to lug around when confronted by a fire,” Chief Morrison said, adding that the old equipment was out of compliance with state safety regulations.

The lifesaving upgrade, which the department could not have afforded on its own, has boosted the confidence and morale of the department’s 10 volunteer firefighters, Morrison said.

“These SCBAs are a huge plus for the village and the department,” he said.

The Delanson Fire Company serves a village of roughly 370 residents and responds to some 115 calls per year.