Crime & Safety

Hopkins Hill Fire District to Receive $108K for Operations, Safety

U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman Jim Langevin announced Friday that the Hopkins Hill Fire District (HHFD) in Coventry will receive a $108,296 grant from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. The department will use the funds to purchase 14 new sets of self-contained breathing apparatus.

“Firefighting is dangerous work and this new equipment will better protect our firefighters and help them save lives and prevent property damage as they do their jobs," said Sen. Reed, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee which allocates funding to programs like AFG. "We rely on our firefighters and they do outstanding work."

"Hopkins Hill firefighters work hard to protect their community, and we should ensure they have the equipment they need to do their jobs safely and effectively," said Sen. Whitehouse. "With this grant money, the fire department can now purchase important protective gear. I congratulate Fire Chief Brown for submitting a successful grant application."

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“I am so impressed that, once again, a Rhode Island fire department has come out on top in this competitive grant process,” Rep. Langevin said. “Congratulations to Chief Brown and the Hopkins Hill firefighters. Municipal fire departments are being asked to do more with less, and this award will allow the department to purchase new, state-of-the-art equipment that is essential to firefighting.”

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program is administered through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

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“We’re absolutely ecstatic about receiving the grant,” said Hopkins Hill Fire Chief Frank Brown. “It’s going to go a long way for providing for a higher level of firefighter safety.”

So far this year, Rhode Island has received over $3 million in federal awards from the AFG and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant (SAFER) programs.


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