Rep. Courtney Announces Over $887,000 in New Federal Support for Five Eastern Connecticut Fire Stations

NORWICH, CT—Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded a new round federal grants totaling more than $887,000 to five eastern Connecticut fire departments in Chester, Preston, New London, Norwich, and Stafford. Each of the new federal awards were dispersed through FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program, and will assist the departments in purchasing essential new safety equipment and lifesaving medical devices, to carry out necessary firefighter training, and more.

“It comes as an awesome relief to get this federal Assistance to Firefighters grant award, because we’ve had a serious need to replace our department’s breathing apparatuses—they’ve really aged,” said Chester Hose Company Fire Chief James Grzybowski. “Funding like this, which allows us to re-stock and re-supply critical equipment, is important for our department and for the entire Town of Chester, and it helps keeps our firefighters safe when they’re working hard to protect our community.”

“With our department having minimum staffing when responding  to incidents, these CPR Compression Devices will help us save lives,” said Poquetanuck Volunteer Fire Department Chief Keith Wucik. “Being awarded the AFG allows us to make this purchase that otherwise would not be possible with budget constraints.”

“These funds will be used to host a Fire Instructor class for our members who do not currently hold this certification,” said New London Fire Department Chief Thomas Curcio. “The new AFG funding will also be utilized to help make us compliant with OSHA-required ‘live burn training’ at the Eastern Connecticut Fire School in Willimantic. With these grant dollars, we’ll be able to backfill and cover overtime costs—a really important investment for our department.”

“Receiving this grant funding is a huge benefit to the Fire Officers and Firefighters of the City of Norwich Fire Department,” said Chief Tracy Montoya of the Norwich Fire Department. “The grant will provide Fire Officers and Firefighters with training and certification in three focused areas. The first area is to provide training in rapid Intervention techniques and procedures that are used to rescue firefighters in the event of becoming trapped or disorientated in a fire. The City of Norwich Fire Department often responds to provide a rapid intervention team during fires and this grant will provide training to keep up with the latest techniques and challenges that firefighters endure. The two other areas include training in Pump and Aerial Operations. Both courses will include certification in those two specific areas of expertise.”

“On the heels of newly enhanced benefits for firefighters and police officers through the bipartisan Protecting Our First Responders Act, this new round of federal AFG grants represents another important source of support for our firefighters and fire stations,” said Rep. Courtney. “We’ve got to support our first responders right now, and the Assistance to Firefighters grant program is a versatile tool that does that by helping firefighters purchase everything from essential lifesaving equipment to important training. These are highly sought-after grant awards that fire stations nationwide all compete for, and it’s great to see the funding coming home to support eastern Connecticut after our local stations put in the work to go after it. Congratulations to all five of our local fire departments.”

The Chester Hose Company will receive an AFG grant award of $127,428.57, and will use it to support the purchase of new Firefighter Breathing Apparatuses, which are essential for protecting firefighters against toxic gas and harmful particulates resulting from fires.

In Preston, the Poquetanuck Volunteer Fire Department will receive an AFG award of $45,714.28. They will use the new federal funding to purchase CPR Compression Devices. This technology offers a safer, more efficient way of getting someone whose heart has stopped to start back up again, and helps the fire department save lives.

The West Stafford Fire Department will use their AFG grant award of $18,571.42 to purchase a new washer and dryer for the department’s firefighting gear, which need to be washed thoroughly of potentially harmful residuals.

The New London Fire Department received an AFG grant award of $95,545.45, and the Norwich Fire Department received an AFG grant award of $379,901.34. Both departments will use the new federal funding to support the completion of necessary training for their firefighters.

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