Federal grant buys new equipment for Maine firefighters

The Sun Journal

PARIS, Maine — Local firefighters will soon get new helmets, jackets and other protective gear thanks to a federal grant.

The Paris Fire Department was awarded $23,830 from the Department of Homeland Security under the Assistance to Firefighters Grants, according to U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe's office.

"This is a welcome boost to my budget," said Chief Brad Frost, who applied for the grant in May.

Frost said the money will pay for protective gear such as helmets and jackets, as well as a special washing machine that extracts harmful contaminants from the equipment. He said smoke from burning household items and chemicals can contain dangerous contaminants.

Equipment sustains heavy damage from heat and snagging when firefighters enter burning buildings. "The people that really do the work and get in and dig inside of a burning structure -- that gear might last a year, it might last two years," Frost said. "You can only repair (the equipment) so many times before you have to throw them out."

"It is critically important our first responders have the resources they need to protect themselves and the public while serving their communities," Sen. Snowe said in a statement.

In the last five years, the department has gotten about $650,000 in grants, which cost local taxpayers less than $50,000 in matching funds.

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