Mayoral Grant Funds Chugiak Volunteer Fire and Rescue Lifesaving Equipment Purchase

Mayor Dave Bronson recently awarded the Chugiak Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department (CVFRD) a mayoral grant in the amount of $8,000. The grant is being used to retire and replace three expiring intravenous (IV) pumps, which are used to deliver fluids and medicine to patients quickly. The new pumps will be tiny, tough, and tactical so they can go to the patient, allowing care to start much sooner.

The department is also using the grant to purchase three vascular Doppler units, a capability new to the department that allows medics to assess blood-flow in veins and arteries where no pulse is felt by touch, such as in crush injuries. Dopplers are also useful to detect in-utero fetal pulses.

Grant Funding Helps Fill Budget Gap

“We appreciate all the help Mayor Bronson and his staff have given us to purchase these much-needed lifesaving devices. Inflation is making it harder for us to keep up with our day-to-day operating expenses like fuel and supplies, and the money we receive from taxes just isn’t enough to cover everything, so we are forced to prioritize. Grant writing is how the CVFRD nonprofit is trying to fill the gap in our budget so we can avoid any breakdowns and keep providing great service to everyone who depends on us,” says CVFRD Nonprofit President Jack Gilbertsen.