BAY MINETTE, Ala. — The Bay Minette Fire Department recently received $242,573 in grant money from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and $12,767 from the city of Bay Minette — a total of $255,340 to purchase 45 self- contained breathing apparatuses and two thermal-imaging cameras.

The process takes approximately two years from grant application all the way to equipment receipt, according to BMFD Chief Phil Bryars.

The 2010 USDHS awarded $390 million to fire departments across the nation, and Bay Minette was on their list of recipients.

A BMFD news release stated that these grants are competitive since the department is vying for funds with nearly every other fire department in the country.

In a telephone interview, Bryars said the process requires forethought and patience.

“We’ve been looking at needing these SCBA’s for three to four years, but that’s a huge expense for a city the size of Bay Minette,” he said.

The SCBA’s cost $5,500 each, and the BMFD will purchase 45: 30 for fire trucks and 15 for hazardous material trailers, Bryars said.

The devices display the amount of air and time remaining for a fire fighter based on his or her individual rate of breathing and exertion, the fire chief explained.

The devices contain pass-alarms to signal, should a fire fighter becomes lost, disoriented or unconscious. The alarm will also sound if the person does not move for 20 seconds.

“We haven’t had fatalities with any of our fire fighters, but other cities have,” Bryars said. “These could possibly save the life of a fire fighter, or possibly even a citizen’s life.”

The funds will also be used to purchase two thermal-imaging cameras, which cost $9,000 each. This would place a camera on each of the four fire trucks, Bryars said, explaining that the cameras are vital equipment.

“If someone’s lost, you can see their footprints, or if someone touched a wall, you can see a hand print,” he said, explaining that the cameras show different temperatures in different colors. “It’s that precise.”

After receiving the funds, the BMFD went through a bidding process and met with the last bid competitor on Wednesday. According to Bryars, the decision will be made within the next two weeks and the items will be in service within three months.