Grants help Mass. cities rehire firefighters, buy equipment

By Jack Encarnacao
The Patriot Ledger

QUINCY, Mass. — Thanks to federal grants, Quincy will be able to hire back five laid-off firefighters and Milton will be able to purchase new firefighting equipment.

The state's Washington delegation announced that the Quincy Fire Department will receive $1.68 million from the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant program, which is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The program will give the Milton Fire Department $110,564.

The grants are for one year.

"This money will provide the resources and staff our fire departments need to respond to emergency situations quickly and effectively," U.S. Sen. John Kerry said in a statement.

Quincy will use the $1.68 million to rehire five firefighters laid off this year, and to retain four grant-funded positions.

"Restoring these positions is vital to public safety in our city, and a great team worked incredibly hard together to make it happen," Mayor Thomas Koch said.

The Quincy layoffs caused reduced coverage of the fire station on Doane Street and a scaled-back schedule for a rescue unit that transports extra air tanks and heavy-duty hydraulic rescue equipment.

The money for the Milton Fire Department will not be put toward payroll costs but toward investments in new equipment and safety gear.

A total of $2.6 million in federal grant money was secured for Massachusetts fire departments. The grant for Quincy is by far the largest. Fire departments in Ashby, Sterling, Richmond and Greenfield were awarded grants ranging from $24,000 to $475,000.

In addition to Kerry, Sen. Scott Brown, Rep. William Keating, Rep. Stephen Lynch and Rep. John Olver publicly touted the grant awards.

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