EASTHAMPTON — The Easthampton Fire Department has been awarded a $19,000 grant from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security and the Department of Services funding for the Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant program.
This grant, from the state’s fiscal year 2025 allocations, will help fund the purchase of protective firefighting clothing for new members within the organization. This safety equipment was on the Fire Department’s capital expenditure list and will allow all members of the department to have compliant gear to the new standards.
“These funds will allow our department to purchase critical equipment to keep our firefighters safe and minimize the financial impact to the community,” said Easthampton Fire Chief Christopher Norris.
Fire departments in the state were able to apply to this program for 118 different types of eligible equipment, including personal protective clothing, gear washers and dryers, thermal imaging cameras, assorted hand tools and extrication equipment, communication resources, hazardous gas meters, fitness equipment and more. In many cases, the purchase of this equipment will help departments attain compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or National Fire Protection Association safety standards.
Norris said this is the last year of this specific grant funding the department will receive as part of its five-year short-term plan of outfitting all personnel with new protective gear. For a fifth and final year, the department has been awarded this $19,000 grant.
“It’s always been for clothing. A set of turnout gear costs roughly about $4,000 a set so our plan was for each of these years to purchase around five sets of gear, and over the five-year period we would then have every member in our department equipped and outfitted with brand new gear,” Norris said.
Norris added most communities in the state have a long-term capital plan and typically capital equipment or purchases are defined by equipment or vehicles that cost more than $10,000.
“When you look at it collectively, this gear was on our department capital plan,” Norris explained. “Because we were able to identify a funding source through the grants and put together this short-term five-year plan, the mayor supported us going after these grants and thereby basically eliminating the need for the city to fund this purchase.”
Norris said the newly purchased equipment has a life expectancy of at least 10 years and the last five years of grants supporting these purchases specifically have helped ease general finances for the city.
“It positions the city to maximize that benefit from these grants,” Norris said.
Norris and Mayor Nicole LaChapelle thanked the Healey-Driscoll administration in a joint statement for its continued support for local fire departments and working to ensure firefighters remain safe during emergency response.
“When you look at this equipment, we are purchasing it’s a critical piece of equipment because it is used every day by these firefighters. Many of the calls that they go on require them to wear this protective gear to keep them safe from the operational situations that they respond to. It’s going to get used quite a bit,” Norris said.
