BF, Springfield among fire departments to benefit from nearly $700K in grants

Firefighters in Bellows Falls and Springfield and a training academy in Pittsford will receive $679,285 through three Assistance to Firefighters federal grants awarded this month.

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2016-05-25 / Front Page BF, Springfield among fire departments to benefit from nearly $700K in grants By Tory Jones Bonenfant toryb@eagletimes.com BELLOWS FALLS & SPRINGFIELD — Firefighters in Bellows Falls and Springfield and a training academy in Pittsford will receive $679,285 through three Assistance to Firefighters federal grants awarded this month. “We’re pretty happy,” said Bellows Falls Deputy Fire Chief Steve Cenate. Vermont’s congressional delegation — Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont, and U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vermont — announced the grant funding on Tuesday, May 24. Firefighters in Bellows Falls were awarded $142,858 through the grant program on Friday, May 20 for breathing apparatus for 20 firefighters, according to the press release. Cenate said on Tuesday, May 24 that the department’s newest breathing apparatus purchases were in 2001. Now that they have been advised of the grant, the department will go out to bid and review new equipment, he said. The BFFD hopes to have the new equipment by December, Cenate said. The Springfield Fire Department was awarded $36,427, also on May 20. Springfield Fire Chief Russell Thompson said on Tuesday that the funding will pay for new hose and four new nozzles. The hose will upgrade and replace some of the older hose in inventory, some that has been in that inventory since the 1960s, he said. The grant funding will help “improve efficiency and safety,” Thompson said. That equipment will be part of the new budget for this year, and the municipality will put out a request for proposals soon. The department hopes to have the new equipment by October, Thompson said. The funding also includes $500,000 for a firefighting training simulator at Vermont Firefighting Academy in Pittsford. That grant was awarded on Friday, May 6. “These federal funds will help ensure Vermonters have well-trained and dedicated firefighters throughout Vermont. Firefighters play an invaluable role in communities throughout the state and we are pleased to be able to help provide the resources they need to train and to safely fight fires,” Leahy, Sanders and Welch said in a joint statement. The primary goal of the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) is to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters with respect to fire-related hazards, according to the U.S. Department of provide direct financial assistance to eligible fire departments, nonaffiliated emergency medical services organizations, and state fire training academies for critically-needed resources to equip and train emergency personnel to recognized standards, and to enhance operations efficiencies, foster interoperability, and support community resilience, all according to FEMA. All of the fire departments receiving grants have been notified, according to David Carle, communications director for Leahy’s office.