Lynnfield FD lands grant

LYNNFIELD – The Lynnfield Fire Department was recently awarded a hefty grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help fund the purchase of a new ladder truck.The $142,500 grant will help defray the cost of the town’s latest purchase: a 100-foot Seagrave aerial platform truck. The sale price was $750,000, a steal, according to Fire Captain Michael Feinberg. The department purchased a 2007 vehicle, which saved them anywhere between $150,000-$250,000.”This funding will allow Chief Paul Romano to upgrade the Lynnfield Fire Department’s equipment, enhancing the department’s ability to respond to emergency situations in the community and improving the safety of both residents and firefighters,” said Senator John Kerry. “Lynnfield’s firefighters put their lives on the line every day, and it’s critical they have the resources they need to do their jobs safely and effectively.”The new truck features a 15-kilowatt hydraulic generator and a breathing air bucket that provides persons at the end of the ladder with a practically unlimited air supply. It replaces the 37-year-old Mack Baker Aerial Scope, which was decertified at the beginning of the summer and taken out of service, said Feinberg.Feinberg said the decision to purchase the newer and larger apparatus came in part with the various new construction projects taking place throughout the town. He said that several of those developments will take the form of four and five-story buildings.”In these extremely difficult economic times, the support of the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, and our elected officials to facilitate this acquisition, which is so vital to the health and safety of our firefighters and residents, is most appreciated,” said Romano.The Assistance to Firefighters Grant program will ultimately distribute over $560 million to departments and non-affiliated emergency medical service organizations throughout the country. Since 2002, the program has provided over $3.6 billion in aid for the purpose of training, protective equipment, vehicles and fire prevention activities.