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            The Kodiak City Fire Department is looking for more than (six-hundred-thousand dollars) $600,000 to replace a fire engine and an ambulance. The city abides by standards set by the municipal fire industry that say ambulances should be replaced every ten years and fire engines every 20 years. Engine 1, which isn't operable, was due for replacement in 2006. The ambulance, while still functioning, isn't up to current standards. It was due for replacement in 2007.Excluding those two vehicles, the department has one pumper, a ladder truck, a rescue and hazardous materials truck, two ambulances and two command vehicles.

            The new fire engine will cost about $450,000. Fire Chief Rome Kamai says he's applied for a highly competitive federal grant that would cover 95 percent of the cost. That means the city would have to put only $22,500 toward the new fire engine. If the department doesn't get the grant, the city will have to foot the entire bill. In the meantime, the city fire department has only the one fire engine and a ladder truck for backup. The problem is that the ladder truck isn't always practicable.

             As for the ambulance, Kamai says the department was awarded $35,000 toward the $175,000 ticket price. The money came from the State of Alaska's Code Blue Project which is sustained by a number of non-profit and governmental agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA suffered funding cuts this year and Kamai suspects that's why the fire department didn't get the full amount requested. The department has up to two years to fund the remaining $140,000 or else the money will have to be returned. Just in case the city fire department doesn't get any additional grant funding, Kamai says he's working with the city on a backup plan.