Two Mason County Fire Districts were awarded grant funding from the federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program for necessary equipment. Central Mason Fire and EMS (CMFE) was awarded $162,000 for the replacement and upgrade of five new state of the art heart monitors while Mason County Fire District No. 2 received $60,000 to replace aging fire hose. CMFE officials say the heart monitors are used during a medical emergency to identify heart attacks, to assist damaged hearts with adequate blood pumping and to deliver electricity to restart a stopped heart. The monitors can also evaluate oxygen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide levels in the blood stream, monitor blood pressure, and evaluate and analyze the electrical activity of the heart. And the units can electronically transmit that information to emergency room physicians. Fire District 2 will be replacing 205 sections of fire hose, of all diameters. The replaced fire hose sections will be used to establish an emergency backup for sections damaged or broken at the scene of a fire. The AFG program was first established in 2001 following the terrorist attacks of September 11th. The program’s objective is to provide local fire and EMS agencies with vital equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training, and other resources critically needed to protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.