Central Falls Thanks Congressional Delegation during Unveiling of the State of the Art Fire Truck
CENTRAL FALLS, RI – On Monday January 22nd, Senator Jack Reed, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, and Congressman David Cicilline joined Mayor James A. Diossa and the City of Central Falls in celebrating the arrival of the fire department’s newest edition to their fleet.
The new $510,000 2017 E-One Pumper Typhoon was acquired in large part due to the Congressional Delegations’ support with a $500,000 Assistance to Firefighters Grant. It replaces a 1988 pumper that was purchased second hand from the neighboring Valley Falls Fire Department.
“I would like to thank the congressional delegation on behalf of our city and residents. The new firetruck serves as another example of all their hard work in D.C. and dedication to our state,” said Mayor Diossa. “The pumper will help to ensure that our firefighters have the best tools available to keep our residents safe in emergency situations.”
The Assistance to Firefighters Grant is an extremely competitive grant offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The grant, according to FEMA, provides “Each year, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program provides fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical service providers with grants, to buy new emergency response vehicles to replace unsafe apparatus. The primary purpose of these grants is to improve the safety of both the public and firefighters.”
“I’m pleased to help deliver federal funds for this new, state-of-the-art truck. It is a great community asset that will benefit Central Falls for years to come. Mayor Diossa has made modernizing the city’s emergency response fleet a priority and this truck will enable firefighters to operate safely and efficiently,” said Senator Reed, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, who wrote a letter to FEMA in support of the application and who leads an annual fire grant workshop to help fire departments across the state successfully apply for federal grants. “Our firefighters do a great job keeping our communities safe and I am proud to support them. Getting this truck into service took years of hard work, cooperation, and coordination by Mayor Diossa, Chief Bradley, and many others. Their efforts behind the scenes will translate to our firefighters on the frontlines being able to help people and save lives.”
“Congratulations to Mayor Diossa and Chief Bradley on being awarded a half million dollars in federal funding to build this impressive truck, which will be a centerpiece of Central Falls’ public safety fleet,” said U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. “The new pumper was custom-designed to support Central Falls firefighters in their tireless efforts to keep city residents safe.”
“I’m proud to have advocated directly to FEMA to help secure nearly half million dollars in federal resources to enable the acquisition of this top-of-the-line fire truck. This is exactly how government should work for the people it serves,” said Cicilline. “This investment will help ensure our brave first firefighters can do their jobs as safely and effectively as possible. And that’s why I’m going to continue working, alongside my colleagues in the Delegation to support robust funding for FEMA’s AFG program, and to continue bringing these resources back here to Rhode Island.”
“The arrival of this new state of the art pumper, which was custom-made to our department’s liking, will ensure that we can navigate the streets of Central Falls quickly and efficiently to always provide quality and timely fire services,” said Fire Chief Robert Bradley. “This is more than just an additional vehicle, but a morale booster for my team and this City.”
The old pumper, which has been removed from service, will be donated to Guatemala via a collaboration between Central Falls and Congressman Cicilline’s office.