By Vinaya Saksena

CUMBERLAND — The Valley Falls Fire District is getting a couple of pieces of new equipment it had not been expecting, and which will help them keep up with rising fire safety standards, according to Chief Brian Jackvony

On Monday, Jackvony accepted a check in the amount of $1,000 from commercial insurance company FM Global, resulting from a grant the department had been awarded after applying earlier this year. Jackvony said the money would be used toward two new pieces of equipment- a laptop computer and an overhead projector- with a total cost of approximately $1,700. The remainder of the cost will be paid with fire district funds.
Jackvony said this new equipment would help the district deal with an increased workload that was expected due to toughened fire safety regulations in Rhode Island. These regulations were brought about in large part as a result of the deadly 2003 fire that destroyed the Station nightclub in West Warwick.
"There's a lot to it," Jackvony said. "Since there have been changes in fire codes, it's placed a greater burden on fire prevention officers."
For this reason, the laptop will be used to help the department keep track of inspections done in local buildings. Jackvony said that these inspections, performed by private companies, were currently required of buildings with four dwelling units or more, though that number would drop to three effective July 1, 2008. The fact that Valley Falls was densely populated would make keeping up with these inspections all the more challenging, he said.
The overhead projector, meanwhile, would primarily be used for training firefighters, which Jackvony said involved a greater number of often computer-assisted visual presentations than in the past. Deputy Chief James Conway added that this particular piece of equipment could also be used in efforts to educate citizens on preventing fires themselves.
"Everything's for safety and education," Conway said. "We want to educate not only the firefighters, but also the citizens and taxpayers in our area. And we hope to do it with all the fire prevention and (safety) equipment we have."
Grants such as this are given out on a quarterly basis by FM Global to fire departments and other public entities around the world responsible for safety. The company says it awards the grants to organizations that demonstrate the greatest need for funding. Michael Spaziani, manager of the company's Fire Prevention Grant Program, said in a company statement that FM Global was hoping to encourage more preventative measures to lessen the need for emergency measures.
"At FM Global, we believe the majority of property damage is preventable- not inevitable- and we are pleased to make funding available to organizations, like the Valley Falls Fire Department, that share the same philosophy," Spaziani said. "After all, it's much better to prevent a disaster than to recover from one."