Watertown Fire Department Gets $84K Grant for New Radios

All on-duty firefighters will have portable radios after the Watertown Fire Department received an $84,912 grant from FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security.

The town will chip in about $9,000 to make up the difference in the $93,902 bill for the radios.

"It will be close to 30 radios," said Fire Chief Mario Orangio. "It's important for firefighters safety to be able to communicate."

Watertown was one of about 5,000 departments to receive money from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, Orangio said. About 20,000 applied.

Orangio hopes the town will receive a second grant from FEMA and Department of Homeland Security. Watertown applied for the SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) Grant in hopes of hiring back positions cut in recent years.

"We lost nine firefighters, none last year, but over the three years before that," Orangio said. "We hope to get four positions back."

The SAFER Grant provides salary and benefits for the firefighers, Orangio said.