CENTRAL FALLS FIREFIGHTERS TO RECEIVE FEDERAL GRANT

Central Falls Receives $209,810 to Assist Fire Department in Latest Round of Grants

BOSTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today $42.4 million in direct assistance grants to 221 fire departments nationwide through the agency’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. Additional phases will soon be announced.

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program includes grants to the following fire departments in Rhode Island:

• Central Falls, RI –Federal share of $209,810 for firefighter breathing apparatus
• Cumberland, RI –Federal share of $205,617 for fire hose, nozzles, and firefighter training                                 
• Woonsocket, RI –Federal share of $226,923 for chest compression devices and fire officer training       

Since 2001, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) has helped firefighters and other first responders obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources necessary for protecting the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.

This grant is funded through FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. Eligible applicants include local fire departments, fire districts, nonaffiliated EMS organizations, tribal fire departments and State Fire Training Academies. The grant applications are submitted from each agency directly to FEMA, where the applications are reviewed and scored by fire service personnel from throughout the nation.

FEMA obligates funding for this project directly to the recipient agencies. It is the recipient agency’s responsibility to manage their grant award within federal guidelines with technical assistance and monitoring provided by FEMA Fire Program Specialists.

Additional information about FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters grant program(s) may be found at https://www.fema.gov/firegrants.