Bethel was one of eight Maine fire departments that won federal money.
By Terry Karkos
Staff Writer

BETHEL – Thanks to an $86,040 federal grant, Bethel’s volunteer firefighters should soon get new firefighting suits, air packs and training.

Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins announced that Bethel was one of eight Maine fire departments that won federal money from the latest rounds of the 2003 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.

Bethel firefighter Don Murphy said the new fire operations and firefighter safety equipment, which includes hazardous materials front-attack suits and training, would complement the spill response trailer the department bought in May with help from MeadWestvaco Corp. and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

The grant program is administered by the U.S. Fire Administration, which is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The agency became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1.

The 2003 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program has $750 million to assist rural, urban and suburban fire departments throughout the United States.

The money is used by the nation’s firefighters to increase the effectiveness of firefighting operations, firefighter health and safety programs, new fire apparatus, emergency medical service programs, and fire prevention and safety programs.

“These grants are vital to fire departments in Maine, allowing them to preserve the safety of their firefighters and the public they serve,” the senators said in a joint press release.

Newry’s fire department had applied for a new ladder truck but didn’t get it, Murphy added.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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