SOUTHINGTON, Conn. — State officials announced Tuesday a million-dollar grant to support a local fire department’s staffing and response efforts.
With the SAFER grant, Southington Fire will receive $1.2 million.
The grant program provides funding to local fire departments to increase the number of trained, frontline firefighters.
It’s a step in the right direction for the department, which currently takes an average of 10 minutes to arrives at the scene of a fire, officials said.
It should take crews in Connecticut an average of four minutes to arrive at a scene, according to officials.
“The men and women who become firefighters, either as a career or as volunteers, do so with a selfless sense of duty to protect their communities and we owe it to them to ensure they have the resources they need to get the job done," Gov. Ned Lamont said Tuesday. "I commend the true team effort involved in the Town of Southington securing this grant and, of course, Congressman Larson for his steadfast support of our first responders."
The Southington Fire Department plans to hire and train three new firefighters with the grant money. They will work on their neediest shift – Monday through Friday at Station No. 3 on Clark Street.
Congressman John Larson released a statement, thanking Fire Chief James Paul, Assistant Chief Eric Heath, and the staff for their tireless work during the competitive grant process.
"I was proud to lend my support in Washington for their application and stand with Senators Blumenthal and Murphy to advocate for this critical funding," Larson added.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal also commended the grant, saying the state's firefighters and first responders have been among our heroes during this pandemic and have never stopped responding to calls throughout this crisis.
"Day in and day out they put their lives on the line to protect our communities," Blumenthal added. "These federal funds will help ensure Southington’s Fire Department has the necessary staffing to keep our families and communities safe."
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The national shortage of volunteerism has also hit Southington hard each year, where they're struggling to fill volunteer spots. The SAFER grant will also finally bring them up to standards.
The three new firefighters will go through 15 weeks of training, officials said. They are expected to start by June 1, 2022.
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