Norwood Fire Department Wins $25K State Safety Equipment Grant

NORWOOD, MA - The Norwood Fire Department won a state grant of $24,990 from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) and the Department of Fire Services (DFS) for the purchase of firefighter safety equipment in FY 22, the administration announced Wednesday.

The opportunity to apply for this grant was available to fire departments in every city, town, fire district, and eligible state authority fire department in the Commonwealth for the purchase of firefighter safety equipment. The total amount of funding available was $5 million, and grants were awarded on a competitive basis. The maximum amounts of grant funding were determined by the population of the community being served.

The maximum amount of grant funding that Norwood could have received was $25,000 because its population ranged between 30,000 and 49,999. Norwood's population is 31,611, according to the 2020 U.S. Census.

Fire Chief David Hayes said in an interview with Patch that the money will be used for personal safety clips for firefighters and that he was thrilled to learn about receiving the grant.

"You probably saw that firefighters in New York were wearing these in that devastating fire on Sunday," he said. "If a firefighter is motionless for 30 seconds, the clip will send out a safety alert."

He added that the safety clips "are a high priority for us."

"Everything we have now is still working, but it's technically out of compliance," Hayes explained. "There are similar devices in the air packs our firefighters wear, but if there is a chance it may not activate, this will be a redundant system to keep them safe."

He noted that Deputy Chief Daniel Harkins wrote the grant.

"We file for every grant that comes across the table for us," said Hayes, who became chief this past fall. "It has worked out well for Deputy Hawkins to work on grant writing so that I can concentrate on other administrative duties. We are very excited to have this grant."

The grant application notice stated that "the goal of the program is to provide fire departments with the necessary personal protective and safety equipment to be in compliance with National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards."