In an effort to enhance fire protection and emergency response capabilities across the state, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline have announced a total of $4,216,959 in federal funding to help a dozen fire departments across the state purchase new equipment and recruit new firefighters.
Fire departments in Warwick, East Providence, Woonsocket, Middletown, Harmony, Little Compton, Coventry, North Scituate, and Saylesville, along with the Rhode Island Fire Academy in Exeter, the Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Association, and the Union Fire District in South Kingstown have all been awarded federal fire grants by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The Assistance to Firefighters Grant program helps fire departments purchase equipment and emergency vehicles and provides training and other firefighting and fire prevention activities.