WRENTHAM — Town Administrator Kevin Sweet is pleased to announce that the Wrentham Fire Department has received a $3,108 Firefighter Turnout Gear Grant and a $6,416.72 Washer-Extractor Equipment Grant from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) and the Department of Fire Services (DFS).
These programs aim to reduce the amount of cancer-causing chemicals that firefighters are exposed to in the course of their work by providing them with modern protective gear to wear while fighting fires, and modern gear washing machines to clean contaminants from their gear before they wear it to the next emergency.
The Wrentham Fire Department will use this funding to purchase 28 hoods and sets of gloves for personal protection during firefighting operations, and one washer-extractor for gear cleaning.
“Our firefighters face risks every day in their service to the community, and exposure to cancer-causing chemicals is one of the significant risks that many departments have been working to combat in recent years,” Town Administrator Sweet said. “New protective gear and the proper equipment to effectively wash gear will greatly benefit the health of Wrentham’s firefighters.”
“We now know that the risk of occupational cancers is amongst the greatest threats faced by modern firefighters. Providing firefighters with new gear to wear and establishing regular and effective gear washing programs are two of the most valuable actions we can take to reduce future cancer diagnosis” said State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey. “We are thankful that the Commonwealth has made this a priority and invested in the advancement of the ongoing cancer prevention efforts of fire departments across the state.”
Funding for this grant program was made available through the Baker-Polito administration for fire departments across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
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