Municipal firefighting grants total $2M

PROVIDENCE (AP) — Rhode Island's all-Democratic congressional delegation has announced more than $2 million in federal funding to help North Kingstown and Barrington hire and train new firefighters.

The lawmakers said Saturday that the direct federal assistance will help both communities pay for two years of salaries and benefits for a total of 13 new firefighters.

The North Kingstown Fire Department is planning to use the $1.5 million federal grant it received to hire nine fulltime firefighters to staff the department's ladder truck 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Barrington Fire Department will use a nearly $533,000 federal grant to help cover the salaries and benefits for four additional firefighters for the first two years of their employment, and 35 percent of the salaries and benefits in the third year.