Wayne Receives $70K ARPA Grant For Firefighter Equipment, Protection

WAYNE, NJ — Wayne Township will receive a $70,000 grant to ensure its volunteer firefighters have proper protection, cleaning, and sanitization equipment, officials said.

Gov. Phil Murphy's office announced the award of $20 million in American Rescue Plan Firefighter Grants to more than 350 municipalities and fire companies in the Garden State.

Fire departments will be able to use the funding for protective clothing, breathing apparatuses, personal protective equipment, and cleaning/advanced cleaning equipment. All local and regional fire departments in New Jersey were eligible to apply for these reimbursement-based grants.

Wayne Township's five volunteer fire companies get some funding from the township, and raise money through donations and fund drives as well.

To qualify for ARPA grant funding, each department had to detail how they would use the money, list the key personnel and/or outside consultant that would be managing the grant funds and purchase of equipment, and submit a governing body resolution acknowledging and approving any grant application and the proposed plan to use funds for the purchase of approved items.

“Safe clothing and gear are extremely important to firefighters’ physical and mental health,” said State Fire Marshal and Division of Fire Safety Director Richard Mikutsky in a news release. “The continuation of these grant funds means so much to these dedicated first responders, many of whom are volunteers.”

Grant applications were reviewed based on the following criteria, the governor's office aid:

• Scope of fire department need as demonstrated by equipment need, number of service calls, number of active firefighters, distressed city rating, and population of service area.
• Level of commitment to protecting firefighters as demonstrated by the local match to the grant funding and other grants for protective equipment or other firefighting projects.