Kamloops Fire and Rescue is moving ahead with a $30,000 grant application in the hopes of buying new training props and equipment at the City’s fire training centre.

Fire Chief Ken Uzeloc says goal is to ensure that all full-time and on-call firefighters meet the required provincial standards while also reducing the burden on taxpayers.

“The $30,000 is the maximum amount that we an applicant can get so we’re obviously looking to get the full amount that we can get,” he told NL News.

Uzeloc says KFR is hoping to use money from the Community Emergency Preparedness Grant to either add new or enhance existing props with additional features.

“We have what is called a tower that we go and train in and we also have propane powered props that would run like a car fire simulation,” he said. “We’re looking at bringing in a rail car that we can plum with water so that we can simulate leaks and provide training and response to that. Those are the types of props we are looking at.

“It is just adding and enhancing to the ones we have already just to make sure we have got a variety of training options to provide skills and to look at different scenarios that we generally will come across in our everyday responses.”

Uzeloc says if this grant application is unsuccessful, KFR will go before city council asking that the new equipment be included in next year’s budget.

“Some of these props can be quite expensive so we’re looking to just slowly as we have budget available through the budget process and then through various grant opportunities to get where we need to be,” Uzeloc said.