Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) announced today that the Waterbury Fire Department has been awarded federal grants totaling $648,000. The funds will go toward improving operations and safety at the facility and for vehicle acquisition. The grants were made possible by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program, which provides assistance to first-responder programs nationwide with the aim of better equipping first-responders to protect the health and safety of the public, as well as that of the first-responders themselves. In fiscal year 2008, the AFG program has provided approximately $500 million in nationwide grants.

“The citizens of Connecticut owe their safety to the bravery and dedication of the men and women of our local fire departments,” said Dodd. “I am pleased that Waterbury has received this well-deserved funding, which will allow the department to provide its personnel with the best training and equipment available. These grants will help the Waterbury fire department continue its tradition of excellent service to the community.”

“I commend Waterbury’s firefighters for courageously protecting their community from fires and other disasters, as they occur,” said Lieberman. “This grant will help those faithful first responders continue to be the first on the scene when disaster strikes to serve the citizens of Connecticut.”

Senators Dodd and Lieberman have a long history of advocating for fire safety. In 2000, Dodd authored and Lieberman cosponsored the FIRE Act, which gives local fire departments the ability to purchase new equipment and initiate education and training programs. In 2003, Dodd authored and Lieberman cosponsored the SAFER Act, a law that gives local fire departments the ability to alleviate critical shortfalls in professional and volunteer personnel. Since the SAFER and FIRE Acts were enacted, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security, has distributed over 460 grants for a total of more than $47 million in Connecticut to help fire departments strengthen their response capabilities.

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