Berwick firefighters to get much-needed safety equipment

New breathing apparatus will let more firefighters respond to local emergencies

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree announced today that an Assistance to Firefighters Grant will help the Berwick Fire Department improve firefighter safety and its ability to respond to emergencies. The federal program will allow the department to update and purchase new self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBAs), cutting local taxpayer costs by over $133,000.  
 
“Our small-town fire departments are being asked to do more than ever, but they’re struggling during tough times to get the gear they need to answer the call safely and effectively,” said Pingree. “Night and day, these firefighters do all they can to keep us safe. This program helps Maine towns do the same for them without placing the burden on local taxpayers.”  
 
With four full-time and 29 volunteer firefighters on its rolls, the Berwick Fire Department currently only has 15 SCBAs. The department can now update the packs it already has as well as purchase 10 new packs—so the department will have a breathing apparatus for nearly all the firefighters its trucks can carry. 
 
“With times like this, it’s great to get this help,” said Berwick Fire Chief Dennis Plante. 
 
So far this year Assistance to Firefighter Grants have saved taxpayers in 29 Maine towns nearly $2 million.  Improvements to public safety include replacing decades-old fire-trucks in Whitefield and West Baldwin, establishing a mobile firefighter training facility for Lincoln County, and providing 25 new SCBAs for firefighters in Lyman and Dayton.