By John L. Micek
masslive.com
BOSTON — Dozens of fire departments across Massachusetts are set to share in more than $15 million in federal funding that will help them pay for new equipment, underwrite training, and other efforts.
The money comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s “Assistance to Firefighters” grant program, or AFG, according to Democratic U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, of Massachusetts, whose offices announced the round of funding.
In April, the Bay State lawmakers fired off a volley of letters to groups representing the Bay State’s municipal leaders and firefighters, urging them to take advantage of the federal program.
It benefits both professional and volunteer departments.
In a statement to MassLive, Warren said the money will “make a real difference for Massachusetts firefighters to have modern safety equipment and the necessary training to protect our communities.”
“I encouraged local fire departments to apply for these grants, and am glad that these resources are benefiting our communities,” Warren said.
In a statement, Markey observed that “firefighters courageously serve the public every day, so we must make sure we are serving them.”
“We must make sure firefighters are safely and fully equipped to do their jobs,” Markey said.
Over the last decade, fire departments statewide have received some $270 million in federal assistance, Warren told MassLive in April.
Warren’s outreach to fire departments and municipal groups came just about three months after Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey , looking to shore up the state’s bottom line, trimmed $1.65 million from an account supporting fire departments statewide, as part of a wider, $375 million reduction in spending this year.
Some three dozen departments, from Auburn to Worcester , were expected to see their state funding cut by as much as half, according to a letter the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts sent out in mid-January, MassLive previously reported.
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