Reading Fire Department Receives $18K Grant For Firefighter Safety

READING, MA — The Reading Fire Department has been awarded an $18,968.15 state Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant for Fiscal Year 2026 through the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Department of Fire Services, according to a statement.

Fire Chief Richard Nelson said the grant award will be used for the purchase of firefighters’ structural firefighting gear as well as replacing batteries in the portable radios used every day.

“Firefighting is a dangerous job,” Nelson said in a statement. “It is imperative that we properly equip our firefighters to minimize the risk. The gear that they wear during a fire protects them from an environment that is a threat to their life while the radios they carry remain a lifeline when things go wrong. During a time where budgets are under incredible pressure, this grant is crucial in helping us fund this equipment to help keep them safe.”

Reading is one of 307 local fire departments awarded funding this year, with a total of $4.9 million being distributed statewide. The grants provide reimbursement to municipal fire departments for purchasing essential safety equipment such as turnout gear, thermal imaging cameras, hazardous gas detectors, communications equipment and hand tools for first responders.

“Reading’s first responders play a critical role in keeping the community safe and protecting the public from harm, often while placing their own personal health and well-being at risk,” House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) said in a statement. “Given the dangers they face, it is important that we provide our firefighters with the proper protective equipment to allow them to perform their jobs safely. This grant award will go a long way towards achieving that goal.”