Fire Departments in Groton Receive Over $739,000 in New Federal Funding, Nearly Doubling Recent Support for Local Firefighters

NORWICH, CT—Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded a new federal grant of $739,569 to the City of Groton that will support several local districts, including the City of Groton, the Center Groton Fire District, the Groton Long Point Fire Association, the Mystic Fire District, the Noank Fire District, the Old Mystic Fire Department, and the Poquonnock Bridge Fire District. The new firefighters’ grant award will also benefit the Mystic River Ambulance Association and the Groton Ambulance Association.

Today’s new grant award was dispersed through Round 4 of FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program. It is the largest single AFG award in eastern Connecticut since 2001. The federal grant will fund the purchase of an upgraded emergency communications system that will enable firefighters and first responders throughout Groton to integrate with the State of Connecticut’s state-of-the-art, statewide emergency notifications system—which includes Next-Generation 9-1-1 services (NG911), the Connecticut Land Mobile Radio Network, enhanced communications frequency coordination for public safety, and more.

“This grant will allow for enhanced communications among firefighters and emergency medical personnel within the fire districts serving the Town and City of Groton, along with portions of the Town of Stonington,” said City of Groton Deputy Fire Chief Ted Sargent. “In addition, the new radio equipment will allow for communications with local police departments in Groton and Stonington during large scale events. The awarding of this grant was successful due to the cooperation of each of the agencies that participated in the grant application—now, this new emergency communications system will only further enhance our collaborative efforts.”

“The importance of communications cannot be understated,” said Chief Jeffrey Post of the Center Groton Fire Department. “During emergencies, accurate and timely information needs to be relayed, and this new radio system will enhance the coverage and efficiency of the speed and accuracy of that information. Special thanks to Deputy Chief Ted Sargent for his diligence on this project.”

“This grant will enable all of our Groton area fire departments to shift to the Connecticut Land Mobile Radio Network, dramatically improving our emergency radio communications,” said Chief Arnie Lotring of the Groton Long Point Volunteer Fire Company. “The shift to the new system will ensure resilient, reliable and secure emergency communications well into the future.”

“We’ve announced a great new round of federal Assistance to Firefighters grants recently, and this award for our fire departments in Groton is the biggest of the crop—it’s actually the largest AFG award we’ve seen in eastern Connecticut since 2001,” said Rep. Courtney. “Earlier this year, our bipartisan bill to enhance benefits for police officers, firefighters, and fire police was signed into law—an important boost for our first responders, and one that will really help our towns when it comes to retaining and recruiting dedicated public service workers we rely on. Now, this new round of federal grants represents another important source of support, and a huge step forward because it’s going to let our firefighters in Groton sync-up with the enhanced statewide emergency communications system. That sort of upgrade is going to make their jobs easier, it’s going to make their work faster and more efficient, and that’s going to result in safer communities for all of us—it’s a smart, targeted investment. I want to congratulate our local fire districts, and especially Chief Tompkins and Deputy Chief Ted Sargent of the City of Groton Fire Department, for their diligent work in earning this highly competitive federal funding.”

The City of Groton will receive a federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) award of $739,569 to upgrade radio and telecommunications equipment for five local fire districts, enabling them to utilize the state’s enhanced emergency notifications system and NG911 services. Specifically, the funding will facilitate the purchase of new vehicle and base station radios, as well as new portable and mobile radio repeaters, for firefighters serving at the Center Groton Fire District, the Groton Long Point Fire Association, the Mystic Fire District, the Noank Fire District, the Old Mystic Fire Department, and the Poquonnock Bridge Fire District, and for first responders at Mystic River Ambulance Association and Groton Ambulance Association.

Today’s grant award nearly doubles the new federal funding Rep. Courtney has recently announced for firefighters in eastern Connecticut. Last week, Courtney announced over $887,000 in AFG grants to five local fire departments in Chester, Preston, New London, Norwich, and Stafford. Those five AFG awards will assist the departments in purchasing essential new safety equipment and lifesaving medical devices, and to carry out necessary firefighter training.

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