HOBART | Hobart firefighters can breathe a little easier thanks to new exhaust systems put in place in late April at all four stations, Fire Chief William McCorkle said.

On Wednesday, during a visit by U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind., McCorkle and other Hobart fire officials got the chance to thank the congressman for his part in obtaining a federal grant that helped pay for the systems.

"We want to thank you for your past support, and we want to demonstrate to you where the money you helped get for us is going," Emergency Medical Services Director Robert Lamprecht said.

Jim Axt, a sales representative for Plymovent exhaust removal systems, was at Hobart Fire Station No. 1 to demonstrate the new system and greet Visclosky.

Axt and Hobart fire officials showed how the firetruck's tail pipe is hooked up to a flexible hose that automatically breaks away once the truck exits the bay.

"If it wasn't for federal dollars, we couldn't have afforded it," Lamprecht said.

Both he and McCorkle said that prior to installation of the new system, firetruck emissions would fill adjacent offices and living quarters.

"We smelled it everyday," McCorkle said.

The new system, which also removes 100 percent of the carcinogens, makes the environment cleaner and safer for the firefighters, he said.

"He (Visclosky) has always been a friend to those in public safety," Mayor Brian Snedecor said while touring with the congressman.

About half of the $228,000 U.S. Department of Homeland Security Grant the Hobart Fire Department received went to pay for the new exhaust system, Lamprecht said.

The remainder of the grant, $22,000 of which was the city's match, will go to pay for firefighter survival training.

Visclosky, whose uncle was a Gary firefighter in the 1950s and 1960s, sympathized with the Hobart firefighters breathing in smoke on and off the job and said he was glad to help.

"You have enough problems in your profession," he said.

Visclosky, who was visiting Northwest Indiana this week, traveled earlier in the day to Union Center Elementary School in Union Township to visit with third-graders.

Other stops during the week included Merrillville and Gary.