DEKALB, Ill. (AP) — The DeKalb Fire Department is getting a federal grant for equipment that will help firefighters learn how to battle blazes in high-rise buildings.
The (DeKalb) Daily Chronicle reports the department secured a $239,000 grant to buy a special mobile tower. The city is providing $21,727 in matching funds.
Officials say there are about 30 buildings in the DeKalb area that are considered high-rises.
Jeff McMaster is DeKalb deputy fire chief. He says the department has severely lacked training facilities. McMaster says that with the grant, firefighters will have more opportunities to train.
The mobile tower is about as tall as a four-story building. It has a four-landing staircase, six windows, a smoke machine, sprinkler systems and a confined space simulator.
