North Reading Fire Dept. Awarded $4,554 State Firefighter Safety Grant

The North Reading Fire Department has been awarded a $4,554.32 state Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant through the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Department of Fire Services.

House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) and Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) congratulated North Reading Fire Chief Donald W. Stats, Jr. for securing the department’s grant award, which will be used to purchase one set of turnout gear.

This is the second round of Fiscal Year 2025 grants awarded this year under the Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant Program, which reimburses fire departments for the purchase of more than 100 types of essential firefighter safety equipment, with an emphasis on items that help departments meet current National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. In January, the North Reading Fire Department received a $19,000 grant, which was used to purchase additional public radios for four new firefighter positions the department was authorized to fill as part of the Town’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget.

“We rely on our first responders to keep our communities safe, but they often find themselves exposed to dangerous and hazardous conditions when responding to a call that can place their own personal safety at risk,” said Representative Jones. “This grant funding will go a long way to ensuring the members of the North Reading Fire Department have the proper equipment to safely perform their jobs.”

“Reliable turnout gear is essential to the protection of the firefighters who, in turn, protect us,” said Senator Tarr. “This grant funding supports the purchase of that gear, which is costly to buy but priceless in its benefit. Congratulations to Chief Stats and the North Reading Fire Department for successfully pursuing this grant.”

North Reading is one of 267 municipal fire departments across Massachusetts sharing in a total of more than $1.6 million in grants awarded in this second round of funding. Individual grant awards ranged from $735 to $23,860.