Baldwin, Lincoln County fire departments receive grants for much-needed equipment

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree announced today that a Department of Homeland Security program will help three rural Maine communities better train and equip their firefighters.  The towns of Baldwin, Alna, and Jefferson have each received Assistance to Firefighter Grants, saving local taxpayers nearly $400,000.
 
“Our rural communities depend on the dedication of volunteer fire departments to keep them safe, but many have to do the best they can with outdated equipment and lack of training facilities,” said Pingree.  “This grant program gives towns the right tools for the job without passing the costs onto local taxpayers.”
 
The Alna Volunteer Fire Department will receive $173,000 for a mobile facility that will be used to train firefighters across Lincoln County.  The 40-foot fire simulator trailer provides a safe environment for firefighters to encounter situations they’d find in a burning building: flashovers, backdrafts, search and rescue, zero visibility, and more. The unit will strengthen training programs coordinated by the Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency, a coalition of departments across the county.
 
Another Lincoln County community, Jefferson, is receiving a $26,000 safety grant for its fire department.  
 
In Cumberland County, Baldwin’s all-volunteer fire department is receiving $190,000 to replace two 1970s-era tanker trucks that have become unsafe and expensive to maintain.  The new model will carry more water than the two aging trucks combined.
 
“We need it badly,” Baldwin Fire Chief Alan Dolloff said of the new truck.  “It’s hard for small towns like us to come up with a couple of hundred thousand for a truck like this.”