RI Delegation Delivers Over $8.5 Million for Local Firefighters

PROVIDENCE, RI -- Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo announced $3,080,791 in federal grants to strengthen safety and training, upgrade equipment, and purchase new emergency response vehicles for fire departments in Barrington, Central Falls, Cranston, Cumberland, Exeter, Jamestown, Johnston, Lincoln, Manville, Newport, Portsmouth, Prudence Island, Smithfield, and Woonsocket. Additionally the Providence Fire Department is being awarded $5,447,112 in federal funds through three competitive grants.

Rhode Island's delegation helped secure a total of $648 million in FY2024 federal funding to make this round of competitive fire grant awards available to communities nationwide through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program.

Federal AFG grants are designed to help local fire departments upgrade and modernize their equipment, improve training, and enhance their abilities to comply with response, equipment, and operational standards established by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). SAFER grants support the hiring and retention of firefighters. Together, these programs have injected tens of millions of dollars in federal assistance into local fire departments across Rhode Island over the last decade, enhancing their response and staffing capabilities to provide fire protection, emergency medical services, search and rescue, hazardous materials incident response, and wildfire response.

Local Fire Departments in the following communities will receive federal AFG funds to enhance the safety of firefighters and improve emergency response:

BARRINGTON: $34,857.14 for CPR devices

CENTRAL FALLS: $43,909.09 for firefighter turnout gear

CRANSTON: $500,000.00 toward vehicle acquisition for a new pumper truck

CUMBERLAND: $167,013.36 for new firefighter breathing apparatus

EXETER: $690,476.19 for vehicle acquisition of a tanker truck for Exeter Volunteer Fire Company No. 2

JAMESTOWN: $285,714.28 for new firefighter breathing apparatus

JOHNSTON: $141,787.27 for firefighter bailout kits, which are personal safety kits that allow firefighters to escape if they are cutoff by a fire collapse, and portable multi-gas meters to detect dangerous gas leaks

LINCOLN: $472,022.72 for advanced firefighter training programs and $60,357.14 for new firefighting hoses

MANVILLE: $108,001.90 for firefighter turnout gear, specialized PPE washer/dryer units

NEWPORT: $160,090.96 for new firefighting hose, nozzles, appliances

PORTSMOUTH: $218,460.95 for paramedic training programs

PROVIDENCE: a SAFER award for $3,985,936.00 to hire 16 firefighters; $1,461,176.70 for firefighter training, wellness programs, and cardiac monitors; and $369,711.82 in AFG funds for vehicle acquisition of a new ambulance

PRUDENCE ISLAND: $94,563.77 for firefighter turnout gear for volunteer firefighters

SMITHFIELD: $49,909.09 for new CPR devices

WOONSOCKET: $262,681.82 for firefighter bail out kits, cardiac arrest monitors, and new automatic defibrillators

TOTAL: $8,527,903

"Rhode Island's brave firefighters help save lives and keep our communities safe. We owe it to them to provide them with the best equipment and training possible," said Senator Reed. "This federal funding ensures our first responders have the right tools and staffing levels to do their jobs safely and effectively. I urge the Trump Administration to make all fire grant funding available to communities in a timely manner so our fire departments can effectively budget and plan for the future."

"Firefighters serve on the frontlines protecting their communities each day," said Senator Whitehouse. "This federal funding will provide a big boost for fifteen local fire departments to ensure they have the tools and resources needed to conduct their work safely and effectively."

"Fire departments across Rhode Island are too often they are working with outdated equipment. We owe it to them to ensure they have the tools and training they need to respond quickly and keep Rhode Islanders safe," said Representative Magaziner. "I will continue working to bring federal resources back to our state so that local departments are not left to shoulder these costs alone."

"Rhode Island firefighters run into danger to keep our communities safe," said Congressman Gabe Amo. "This federal funding will help ensure firefighters across the Ocean State have the training and tools they need to safely do their jobs. I will always fight for federal funding that keeps Rhode Island communities safe."

Over the last two years, Rhode Island fire departments and other first responders across the state have been awarded over $30 million in federal funding through FEMA's AFG and the Staffing For Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant funding.

Senator Reed leads an annual fire grant workshop that helps local fire departments with the competitive grant application process. Both AFG and SAFER awards are based on need, scope, community impact, and overall application merit.

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