Washington, D.C. — Twenty-three fire departments and organizations in Maine have received a total of $3,311,791 to upgrade equipment and support personnel.
Scarborough Fire Department received $65,045 to support firefighter training.
This funding was awarded through the Fiscal Year 2021 Assistance to Firefighters Grants and the FY 2021 Staffing for Adequate Fire Emergency Response Grants. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Suan Collins champions annual funding for these grant programs within the budget of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to a press release from the offices of Collins and Sen. Angus King.
“Firefighters put their lives on the line every day to protect Maine residents, homes, and businesses,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “This funding will allow Maine firefighters to acquire updated equipment so they have the best tools available to protect themselves as they serve our families and communities.”
Other communities receiving funding include: Bangor, Belgrade, Boothbay Harbor, Casco, Clinton, Eddington, Falmouth, Gorham, Gray, Oakland, Orono, Portland, Sabattus, Sanford, Sedgwick, Southwest Harbor-Tremont, Swedent, Van Buren, Wesley and West Gardiner, as well as Maine Fire Service Institute in South Portland and Med-Care Ambulance Service in Mexico.
As a co-chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, Collins has been a longstanding advocate for Maine’s first responders, according to the release. She annually leads a bipartisan letter, signed by King, to the Senate Appropriations Committee urging robust funding for FEMA’s firefighter grant programs, which she helped create.
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