EAST?LONGMEADOW – The East Longmeadow Fire Department, through the Assistance to Firefighter Grant (AFG) program from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) announced that they received $33,805.71 for vehicle extraction equipment.

According to FEMA’s website, FEMA has been working since 2001 to assist firefighters and first responders with obtaining the equipment they need.

East Longmeadow Fire Chief Paul Morrissette explained, “The primary goal of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) is to meet the firefighting and emergency response needs of fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical service organizations.”

The $33,805.71 will go toward the replacement of the East Longmeadow Fire Department’s existing vehicle extrication equipment with the “newest design available.”

“This includes tools powered by battery and available for immediate use with no required set up,” Morrissette stated.

The East Longmeadow Fire Department plans to have the new equipment in service by the end of the year.

Many other towns in the area also received AFG program funding, including nearby Longmeadow, Springfield and Holyoke. Longmeadow received $33,143 to replace 12 sets of outdated firefighter protective gear. Springfield received $95,454 to go toward the purchase of seven gear extractors, which is a machine used to clean the often-dangerous chemicals from firefighter gear. Holyoke received a much larger, $382,200 grant, with the majority of the grant, $329,000, will be for the replacement of 47 self-contained breathing apparatuses used in situations where breathing is hazardous. Also funded by the grant for Holyoke are 68 facepieces and, possibly, a filling station for the breathing equipment.