Bridgewater FD Awarded FEMA Grant For Airpacks

The Bridgewater Fire Department in Oneida County has been awarded $212,569.52 through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The funding will provide the department with 20 Self- Contained Breathing Apparatus units.

Each includes a harness/backpack, facepiece, and two cylinders. These SCBAs will meet compliance standards, ensuring maximum safety and protection for firefighters in hazardous environments.

Automatic Chest Compression Device (CPR equipment) are designed to deliver consistent, high-quality chest compressions during cardiac emergencies.

This life-saving device meets AHA guidelines. “Rural fire departments like ours face unique challenges,” said Bridgewater Chief William Deking.

“This grant will ensure our firefighters have safe, compliant SCBA gear to operate in dangerous conditions, and it provides us with advanced CPR technology that could mean the difference between life and death for a patient.

“In a small community where response times and resources are often stretched thin, having this kind of reliable equipment greatly improves our ability to protect both our members and the residents we serve,” King said.

The department expressed its gratitude to FEMA’s AFG program, Senator Charles Schumer, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, and Congresswoman Claudia Tenney for their advocacy and support in keeping this federal funding program viable for rural communities.

The grant application was prepared by Julie A. Burline of MJ Burben, who has successfully assisted Bridgewater Fire Company in securing two FEMA AFG awards in the past four years.

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program is a competitive federal program designed to enhance public safety by providing direct financial support to fire departments and EMS organizations nationwide.

The program helps first responders have access to critical resources.