Funding will be used for personal protective gear
BOSTON – The Reading Fire Department has been awarded an $18,968.15 state Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant for Fiscal Year 2026 through the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Department of Fire Services.
House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading), State Representative Richard M. Haggerty (D-Woburn) and State Senator Jason M. Lewis (D-Winchester) congratulated Reading Fire Chief Richard Nelson for filing a successful grant application. Chief Nelson noted that Reading’s grant award will be used for the purchase of firefighters’ structural firefighting gear as well as replacing batteries in the portable radios used every day.
“Firefighting is a dangerous job,” said Chief Nelson. “It is imperative that we properly equip our firefighters to minimize the risk. The gear that they wear during a fire protects them from an environment that is a threat to their life while the radios they carry remain a lifeline when things go wrong. During a time where budgets are under incredible pressure, this grant is crucial in helping us fund this equipment to help keep them safe.”
Reading is one of 307 local fire departments awarded funding this year, with a total of $4.9 million being distributed statewide. The grants provide reimbursement to municipal fire departments for purchasing essential safety equipment such as turnout gear, thermal imaging cameras, hazardous gas detectors, communications equipment and hand tools for first responders, with priority given to equipment that will assist fire departments in meeting National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards.
“Reading’s first responders play a critical role in keeping the community safe and protecting the public from harm, often while placing their own personal health and well-being at risk,” said Representative Jones. “Given the dangers they face, it is important that we provide our firefighters with the proper protective equipment to allow them to perform their jobs safely. This grant award will go a long way towards achieving that goal.”
“As the grandson of a firefighter, I understand firsthand the dangerous and stressful situations our firefighters face every single day,” said Representative Haggerty. “This grant award will help provide our Reading firefighters the necessary tools, gear, and equipment they need to do their jobs safely and effectively, ensuring our community is well-protected.”
“Our brave firefighters risk health hazards posed by smoke and other fire byproducts to protect our lives and property,” said Senator Lewis. “We owe it to them to ensure that they have all necessary safety equipment, and this grant will help do so.”
Reading also received a Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant in Fiscal Year 2025 totaling $18,991. That grant was used to provide the town’s newest firefighters with firefighter structural turnout gear.
