Amherst fire received funding for new gear and safety education
AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) – The Amherst Fire Department has been awarded $22,090 in grants to support firefighter gear and education.
The department says they will use the funds to replace about 30 face pieces for their self-contained breathing apparatuses. The money awarded by the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services will also go towards safety education for local youth and seniors.
Brush fire spreads to Amherst home in dry weather
'This grant will enable the Fire Department to replace critical life safety equipment for our firefighters now, eliminating the need to wait for future Town capital expenses and alleviating pressure on the Town's capital budget,' said Amherst Fire Chief Lindsay Stromgren.
In addition, the department was awarded funding over the past year to update equipment and implement safety programs, which include the following:
FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant – $297,090
MEMA Emergency Management Performance Grant (FY24) – $9,500
Earmark Funding from State Representative Mindy Domb– $125,000
Massachusetts Department of Fire Services (DFS) Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant (FY24) – $24,525
Massachusetts DFS Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant (FY25, Round 1) – $25,000
Massachusetts DFS Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant (FY25, Round 2) – $12,292
Massachusetts DFS SAFE Grant – $7,200
Massachusetts DFS Senior SAFE Grant – $2,598.50
'Our SAFE and Senior SAFE programs put firefighters in our primary schools and in our Senior Center to build relationships with the community and teach valuable fire safety lessons to some of our vulnerable populations,' said Chief Stromgren. These grants enable us to continue to provide this valuable public service, which we would not be able to do within our regular operational budget.'
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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