Federal Grant To Boost Safety At West Stafford Fire Department

STAFFORD, CT — A federal grant will be making the West Stafford Fire Department headquarters a bit cleaner and safer.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney (CT-02) Wednesday announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded a new round federal grants totaling more than $887,000 to five eastern Connecticut fire departments, including more than $18,000 in Stafford.

Each of the new federal awards was dispersed through FEMA's Assistance to Firefighters Grants program, Courtney said. The grants are designed to assist the departments in purchasing "essential new safety equipment and lifesaving medical devices, to carry out necessary firefighter training, and more," he said.

"On the heels of newly enhanced benefits for firefighters and police officers through the bipartisan Protecting Our First Responders Act, this new round of federal AFG grants represents another important source of support for our firefighters and fire stations," Rep. Courtney said. "We've got to support our first responders right now, and the Assistance to Firefighters grant program is a versatile tool that does that by helping firefighters purchase everything from essential lifesaving equipment to important training. These are highly sought-after grant awards that fire stations nationwide all compete for, and it's great to see the funding coming home to support eastern Connecticut after our local stations put in the work to go after it. Congratulations to all five of our local fire departments."

The West Stafford Fire Department will use its AFG grant award of $18,571 to purchase a new washer and dryer for the department’s firefighting gear, which needs to be cleaned thoroughly because of potentially harmful residuals, Courtney said.