Gorin VFD Adds New Equipment With FEMA Grant

By Echo Menges

GORIN, Mo. — The Gorin Volunteer Fire Department officially placed eight new self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) units into service Tuesday night, March 10, 2026, during the department’s regular member meeting.

The department serves the Gorin area in southeastern Scotland County and regularly assists neighboring departments through mutual aid responses.

Firefighters spent the evening at the Gorin firehouse fitting the equipment, learning its operation and training with the new gear before it officially went into service.

Fire Chief Kenneth Hoover said the department was able to purchase the equipment through a $75,600 Assistance to Firefighters Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“There’s no way we could afford to do this without the grant,” Hoover said.

The department purchased eight new SCBA units at a cost of $9,450 each. The purchase also included 16 new masks so that every member of the department has their own personal mask.

Prior to the upgrade, the department had eight breathing units but only eight masks, meaning firefighters often had to share masks during responses.

The new equipment will improve safety and readiness for the department’s 16 volunteer firefighters, Hoover said.

The updated gear will also benefit surrounding communities that Gorin firefighters assist on mutual aid calls. The department regularly responds to calls in neighboring areas, particularly around Wyaconda in Clark County, and Rutledge in Scotland and Knox counties – on occasion.

Hoover said the department may also be able to pass along some of the older equipment to the Arbela Volunteer Fire Department, which could help another rural department that is in need of gear. The department’s board of directors will decide what to do with the older SCBA units.

The breathing apparatus are critical pieces of safety equipment used by firefighters when operating in smoke filled or hazardous environments.

The new units include a high-pressure air cylinder, a harness/ backplate assembly, a regulator system, and a full facepiece. The units are also equipped with air tank sensors to alert firefighters when their oxygen tanks are running low, and movement alarms that will sound if a firefighter stops moving.

With the new equipment now in service, Hoover said the department is better equipped to protect both its firefighters and the communities they serve.