Town of Colonie receives $12K grant to improve firefighter safety

COLONIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- On Wednesday, the Town of Colonie was awarded a $12,000 Fire Prevention & Safety Grant to purchase specialized equipment to keep the Fire Investigations Units safe during investigations. The federal grant was made possible by the Assistance to Firefighters Grants program.

“We in our Capital Region are fortunate to have such hardworking local firefighters who risk their lives every day to keep our communities safe," said Congressman Paul Tonko."We owe it to these brave men and women to provide them with the training, equipment, and other resources they need to continue to do their work safely.”

“The grant will provide the members of our office with protective gear and a decontamination kit," said Benjamin Stevens, Senior Fire Protection Specialist at Town of Colonie Fire Services. "These will be used to protect our members during fire and arson investigations to help reduce the risk of cancer. The remaining funds will allow us to purchase additional tools to be used during investigations.”