Firefighters in the Hillsboro Fire Protection District are getting good use from their brand new fire truck, reports myMOinfo.com.

The new fire truck is expected to serve as a front-line pumper for the next 20 years. Hillsboro fire Chief Brian Gaudet said the pumper truck has already been used on its first call.

MERRIMAC — Chief Larry Fisher is pleased to announce that the Merrimac Fire Department is one of nearly 300 fire departments across the state to have been awarded a grant as part of the Department of Fire Services Fiscal Year 2021 Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant Program.

The $12,500 grant awarded to the Merrimac Fire Department will be used to purchase five sets of new structural firefighting gear and a clothes dryer. 

“We are regularly working to identify resources to provide safety equipment for our firefighters, limit the financial exposure to the Town of Merrimac and make a balanced approach to fulfilling public safety needs,” Chief Fisher said. “The support of State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey and Gov. Charlie Baker has been invaluable in ensuring those needs are met, and we are grateful for their continued support.”

This program enables fire departments to purchase a variety of equipment that will make firefighters’ jobs safer. The $4 million awarded to departments statewide is part of a $25 million bond bill filed by the Baker-Polito Administration to support firefighter health and safety over the next five years.

Fire departments in Massachusetts were able to apply to this program for 114 different types of eligible equipment, including personal protective clothing, gear washers and dryers, thermal imaging cameras, assorted hand tools and extrication equipment, communications resources, hazardous gas meters, fitness equipment and more.

“Investing in the short-term and long-term health and safety of firefighters has been a hallmark of the Baker-Polito Administration,” said Ostroskey. “I am grateful that we are able to continue supporting this initiative and make sure that firefighters not only go home safe at the end of every shift, but also that they maintain their health during and after their careers. This funding couldn’t come at a better time either. With the financial challenges that COVID-19 has brought to so many Massachusetts municipalities, this grant funding will mitigate critical budget gaps in many departments.”

A complete list of the awards by department can be found here.

The 62-year-old Washington Township fire station will be replaced if voters approve a bond issue, reports Richland Source.

The current facility is old and does not meet current EPA standards. The new $9 million facility would help the department reach current standards. The new structure would have living and sleeping quarters for fire department members, something the current firehouse does not provide. The fire station would encompass 18,000 to 21,000 square feet and would have five drive-through bays for fire apparatus.

Response times for the all-volunteer department could be greatly enhanced if firefighters could stay at the fire station.

It didn’t take long for one Moses Lake man to spring into action when he got word that the Global Supertanker was shutting down its operations last week. Tom Dent is an agricultural pilot, buffalo farmer, and a legislative representative in Washington’s 13th district. Dent also chairs Washington’s Wildfire Caucus.
- PUB DATE: 4/26/2021 12:53:17 PM - SOURCE: iFiber One News Radio

Following a year filled with worldwide strife – especially for first responders, frontline workers, and restaurants – Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation^® set a new record for the most money ever awarded in a single quarter. The $2.5 million in grants are going to 118 nationwide public safety organizations and will be put toward the purchase of critical lifesaving equipment.

“Just one year ago, the Foundation was unsure of the future in the face of COVID-19 lockdowns and restaurant dine-in restrictions. But thanks to Americans opening their hearts as the country closed down, lifesaving equipment is being put in the hands of first responders who desperately need it,” said Robin Peters, executive director, Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation.

“We’re so thankful for the support from Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation and our local Firehouse Subs restaurant,” said John Cermak, Fire Chief, North Country Regional Fire Authority, and the grant recipient of a LUCAS 3 Automated Chest Compression System through the Foundation’s COVID-19 Disaster Relief Fund. “The LUCAS device enables our first responders to give continuous, consistent chest compressions in cardiac resuscitations, providing the best chance to the citizens of our local community to survive a cardiac arrest. It will also improve the safety of the department’s first responders during COVID-19 by minimizing absorption of aerosolized virus particles during manual CPR.”

Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation awards grants on a quarterly basis which are given to first responders and non-profits that support community safety. A majority of the grants provided go toward purchasing lifesaving equipment for first responder organizations. Equipment examples include firefighter PPE (personal protective equipment) ($1,000-$1,300), thermal imaging cameras ($10,000), automated external defibrillators (AEDs) ($1,500), all-terrain vehicles ($20,000) and vehicle extrication tools ($25,000).

Since 2005, lifesaving equipment like this and much more has been awarded quarterly to first responder organizations thanks to Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. Established in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Firehouse Subs founders, Chris Sorensen and Robin Sorensen traveled to Mississippi where they fed first responders, as well as survivors. As they returned to Florida, exhausted and exhilarated, they knew more could be done, and the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation was born. Over the past 15 years, the Foundation has awarded grants totaling more than $57 million in 49 states and Puerto Rico.

To learn more about Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation or donate online, visit FirehouseSubsFoundation.org.