Local fire departments receive state grant for safety equipment

April 28, 2021 | Sarah Heinonen
sheinonen@thereminder.com

The East Longmeadow and WIlbraham Fire Departments both received funds from the state Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant program.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen

EAST LONGMEADOW/WILBRAHAM – Thanks to a state grant program for firefighter safety equipment, local fire departments are getting the gear they need to keep themselves – and their communities – safe.

State Rep. Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr. recently announced that the Wilbraham Fire Department will receive $8,976 and the East Longmeadow Fire Department will receive $15,000 as part of a $4 million Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant Program. The funding will benefit 294 fire departments around the state.

A variety of equipment is eligible for purchase with the Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant Program, including protective firefighting gear, thermal imaging cameras, radios, rescue equipment and gear washers and dryers.

Wilbraham Fire Chief Michael Andrews told Reminder Publishing that the funds will be used to procure a “ram,” part of the “Jaws of Life” set of equipment.

“If someone’s dashboard has been pushed in on them, we can use this to push it off of them,” Andrews said. The ram will complete a fully-upgraded “Jaws of Life” that is carried on one of the ladder trucks.

In East Longmeadow, Fire Chief Paul Morrisette said that the grant will cover the cost of firefighter gear – “the coats, the pants, the gloves” – as well as an upgrade to the exhaust system for the station. “It’s hoses that attach to the fire trucks, so when they’re running, it sucks the exhaust out,” he said.

“This funding is a critical approach to mitigating modern firefighter health and safety risks,” Puppolo said in a statement. “Firefighters face not only the well-known risks of fire, smoke, and hazardous materials, but also long-term health risks of occupational cancer associated with the exposure to fire by-products, and debilitating physical injuries due to the strenuous nature of their work. I am pleased to support this funding.”

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