Coos Bay Fire Department receives 3 grants totaling $2.8M

COOS BAY, Ore.- The Coos Bay Fire Department is awarded three grants in the last 60 days, totaling $2.8 million.

The first grant of $1.1 million came from Business Oregon to upgrade the Eastside Fire Station to be better structured for earthquakes.

The second grant of $100 thousand came from the Oregon Department of Energy to repair the HVAC system at Fire Station 1.

But arguably the one that should excite the community the most is the third grant of just under $1.6 million from the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI).

This grant will go towards creating a 2-year-long apprenticeship program.

“It’s really targeting people that wouldn’t necessarily have an opportunity to join the fire department in traditional means. If you look at the fire departments across the country, it’s, for the most part, a white, male-dominated industry,” Fire Chief Mark Anderson said.

Anderson says they’re really excited for women, minorities and veterans to apply to show more diversity in firefighting.

The program is set to start in early November.

Anderson says all three grants have a huge impact on the fire department.

“We’ve tightened our belt as much as we can, but we also look for other opportunities to fund programs that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to do. It’s really a game changer for us,” Anderson said.

For more information on the apprentice program, contact the Coos Bay Fire Department or the City of Coos Bay Human Resources Department.