Brockton Fire Department gets $578,000 FEMA grant
U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., came to Brockton Fire Station No. 6 on Friday to announce a $578,000 FEMA assistance to firefighters grant for the Brockton Fire Department.
BROCKTON – The Fire Department is getting a boost from the federal government.
Brockton is receiving a $578,000 firefighters assistance grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, allowing the department to buy new self-contained breathing apparatus units and a new air-filling station. U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., came to Fire Station No. 6 on Friday afternoon to announce the FEMA funding, after working with U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Boston, and Sen Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, to secure the federal grant.
“Our job is to help you do your job even better,” said Markey, speaking before a group of firefighters and other city officials who assembled at the West Side fire station. “This is why this grant is coming your way, because your record has proven that you deserved it, that you’re the best, and I’m proud to be here today with the chief and the mayor and all the elected officials to announce this phenomenal success.”
Mayor Bill Carpenter had been lobbying the federal delegation of lawmakers for the funding.
“As much as I always look forward to seeing you, I do like it a little bit better when you bring good news and a big check,” said Carpenter with a smile, addressing Markey during the grant announcement.
Fire Chief Michael Williams thanked the mayor for advocating for the grant in Washington.
“It’s a very exciting day for the Brockton Fire Department,” Williams said. “This is very important equipment for our department. It protects our firefighters and allows us to go to places that normally we couldn’t.”
The $578,000 will be used to purchase a new air-filling station, a new air compressor, 90 self-contained breathing apparatus units, 180 air cylinders for those units, and 177 face pieces, Williams said.
“On the behalf of the Brockton Fire Department, I’d like to thank everybody involved,” Williams said.
Markey said the Fire Department deserved the funding because it is the busiest fire department in Massachusetts, based on calls per capita, with 25,000 incidents reported in 2016 in a city of fewer than 100,000 people.
“That makes them one of the busiest fire departments in the U.S.,” said Markey, who was flanked by local elected officials, including Carpenter, state Sen. Michael Brady, state Rep. Gerry Cassidy and Ward 6 City Councilor Jack Lally. “Roughly 1,000 of those incidents involve firefighters having to charge into enclosed buildings full of dangerous, blinding smoke. The risk of smoke inhalation makes a perilous job even more dangerous. Our firefighters are heroes. But sometimes heroes need help. And that is why this new funding from FEMA is so important.”
Markey thanked firefighters for what they do every day, and applauded the Fire Department, which has about 163 firefighters and 195 employees in total.
“This was hard fought down in Washington,” Markey said. “But Brockton made the case, the city made the case, the mayor made the case, and we’re here today celebrating.”
