Middletown, East Haddam fire crews win $959K in FEMA aid

BOSTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has disbursed $42.4 million in direct assistance grants to 221 fire departments nationwide through its Fiscal Year 2019 Assistance to Firefighters Grant program.

Additional phases will soon be announced, according to a press release.

Two Middlesex County companies are due to receive $959,000 in funding: Middletown’s South Fire District, $53,950 for technical rescue training and equipment; and the East Haddam Fire Department, $904,762 for a quint pumper/aerial ladder truck.

Other Connecticut municipalities who are receiving support are in New Haven, Stafford, Waterbury and East Hartland, the release said.

Since 2001, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant has helped firefighters and other first responders obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources necessary for protecting the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.

Eligible applicants include local fire departments, fire districts, nonaffiliated EMS organizations, tribal fire departments and state fire training academies, FEMA said. Applications are submitted from each agency directly to FEMA, where they are reviewed and scored by fire service personnel from throughout the nation.

FEMA obligates funding for this project directly to the recipient agencies. It is the recipient agency’s responsibility to manage their grant award within federal guidelines with technical assistance and monitoring provided by FEMA Fire Program Specialists.

For information, visit fema.gov/firegrants.

Hearst Connecticut Media file photo Middletown’s South Fire District station is located on Randolph Road.