Weymouth Fire Awarded Over $265,000 in Grant Money

A fair amount of money is heading towards the Weymouth Fire Department.

The town announced Thursday that the department has been awarded a federal grant of $265,237 was awarded under the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program for federal fiscal year 2014.

The AFG program provides federal money directly to local fire departments to help address a wide variety of equipment, training and other firefighter-related needs.

“I am thrilled by the news of this grant,” Mayor Susan Kay in a statement. “Firefighters deserve to be protected by equipment that they can trust and that meets the high standards established by the fire service industry.”

The Weymouth Fire Department will use the grant to replace its complete breathing apparatus inventory which consists of harnesses, air cylinders and personal-alert safety systems (or PASS devices) which monitor air levels and
alert firefighters when air is low. This gear, collectively referred to as a self-contained breathing apparatus, is what enables firefighters to endure extreme heat and breathe safely in atmospheres that pose an immediate danger to their lives and long-term health.

“This equipment is critical to firefighter safety,” Weymouth’s Fire Chief Keith Stark added in the release. “It protects our members from going in too deep or staying in a hazardous environment for too long. Good air management make firefighters more efficient; helps us lower the risk of a down member; and make us more effective at rescuing
victims and reducing property loss.”

This is the first grant awarded from the AFG since fiscal year 2013.

Click here to read the full release.