Courtney Announces New Federal Funding to Support Coastal Security and Maritime Safety in Mystic and New London

NORWICH, CT – Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) announced the award of four federal grants totaling $296,732 that will assist with coastal security and safety preparedness efforts in eastern Connecticut on the Long Island Sound. The three grants were awarded to the Mystic Fire Department, the New London Fire Department, and Cross Sound Ferry Services through the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Port Security Grant Program, and will assist agencies with important projects like maintaining fire boat vessels, upgrading maritime surveillance and cybersecurity systems, and purchasing water rescue equipment.

In June, Courtney wrote to Christopher Logan, Acting Administrator for the FEMA Grant Programs Directorate, to specifically highlight the Mystic Fire Department’s application for Port Security Grant funding. The Mystic Fire Department is the only agency in the region that operates a marine vessel equipped with both a fire pump and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) detection equipment, Courtney noted to FEMA, and the Department needed access to funding to maintain the vessel and continue to provide vital services. Today’s grant award provides that funding—click here to read more.

“Grant awards like these are really invaluable, not just for us but for all our partners in the New London Marine Group—the Norwich and New London Fire Departments, Groton Long Point, the Waterford Fire Department, and others,” said Mystic Fire Department Chief Anthony Manfredi. “Our work is a collaborative effort, and it includes our local police and Coast Guard as well, so keeping the fire boat in the water and off the sidelines for maintenance is something that makes a difference not just for our department, but for lots of our partners and surrounding communities. I’m proud of the work our team did to successfully go after this federal Port Security Grant award, and we were glad to have the support of Congressman Courtney when our application was under consideration in this very competitive process.”

“This week, Cross Sound Ferry was awarded $249,276 through the FY 2022 Port Security Grant Program to support three security projects: Sustainment and Enhancement of Surveillance Systems aboard ferries and at ferry terminals; Improved Cyber Security for the ferry system; and Active Shooter/Active Threat Training for ferry crews,” said Cross Sound Ferry Vice President Adam Wronowski. “These projects strengthen resiliency, improve response capabilities, and mitigate risk for the marine transportation system.”

“The DHS announcement today of Port Security Awards for key maritime enterprises in Southeastern Connecticut is a critical investment to harden ferry cyber defenses, as well as to extend the service life of public safety vessels that save lives,” said Rep. Courtney. “Port Security Grants are distributed on a competitive basis, with applications coming in from all across the country. Cross Sound Ferry, the Mystic Fire Department, and the City of New London—working with local partners in the Coast Guard and Homeland Security—did an outstanding job to make these awards possible. Congratulations to our firefighters and to Chief Anthony Manfredi of Mystic, Chief Tony Cursio of New London, and to Adam Wronowki, Rich MacMurray, and the entire team at Cross Sound Ferry on earning these important federal grant awards.”

In Mystic, a federal Port Security Grant of $24,000 will be awarded to the Mystic Fire Department. The funding will help them sustain operations and perform necessary maintenance on the department’s fire boat for a 36-month period, assuring the vessel will be ready to respond to emergencies on the Long Island Sound, the New London Harbor, and adjacent local coastal waterways. The Mystic Fire Department has highlighted the maintenance of the vessel’s chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosives (CBRNE) detection equipment and 1,500 GPM fire pump as areas of particular importance.

The City of New London will receive a $23,456 Port Security Grant award for the New London Fire Department. The Department will use the funding to purchase new water rescue equipment, and for backfill associated with the use of other equipment.

Cross Sound Ferry Services will receive two federal Port Security Grants. The first, totaling $168,960, will be used for sustainment and upgrades for 10 ferries and 2 ferry terminals. Improvements include replacing digital video recorders, cameras, routers, and surveillance systems aboard ferries, as well as the sustainment and maintenance of surveillance systems at two ferry terminals. The second Port Security Grant, totaling $80,316, will fund 3-year contracts to support cybersecurity operations for the ferry system. The first contract is for a Cybersecurity Operations Center (SOC) that will monitor, protect, and respond to events within their secure networks. The second is for an Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) system that monitors and protects end user stations.  The third supports employee cybersecurity training.

The DHS Port Security Grant program plays an important role in the implementation of the National Preparedness System by supporting the building, sustainment and delivery of core capabilities essential to achieving the National Preparedness Goal of a secure and resilient nation. To learn more, click here.

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