WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins
(R-Maine), Chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, and Angus King
(I-Maine), a member of the Caucus, announced that six town fire departments, as
well as the Maine Firefighting Academy in Brunswick, will receive funding from
the latest round of grants to support firefighting training practices,
protective gear, and technology through the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA)’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program.
“Maine’s firefighters and emergency
health professionals protect our communities with outstanding bravery,” said
Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “We welcome this
investment, which will allow departments to acquire high-quality protection
gear and training equipment to help protect our state’s firefighters.”
In addition to Maine Firefighting
Academy receiving $227,827 for training equipment, the funding will be
allocated among the following town fire departments:
·
Brewer will receive $120,000 for
firefighter breathing apparatus.
·
Casco will receive $49,762 for diesel
fume exhaust system
·
Gray will receive $35,829 for wellness
& fitness equipment.
·
Portland will receive $681,819 for a heavy
rescue truck.
·
Rockland will receive $217,591 for
firefighter breathing apparatus.
·
Eddington will receive a $201,091 regional
grant for Eddington, Brewer, Dedham-Lucerne, Holden, and Orrington for
automated external defibrillators and cardiac monitors.
Senators Collins and King are
advocates for fire safety and they are dedicated to finding ways to best
protect firefighters and first responders. In early July, bipartisan
legislation cosponsored by Senators Collins and King, The Firefighter Cancer Registry Act was signed into law. The
legislation calls on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to
monitor and study the relationship between career-long exposure to dangerous
fumes and toxins and the incidence of cancer in firefighters to determine if
there is a link, and to develop better protective gear and prevention
techniques.
The AFG Program assists fire
departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical service organizations in
improving their emergency response capabilities. The program provides federal
funding that enables these organizations to purchase equipment, protective
gear, emergency vehicles, training, and other resources to better protect
emergency personnel and the communities they serve.
