BRISTOL – U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal visited a local firehouse on Monday to announce that the Bristol Fire Department will receive funding from FEMA for vital training.

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG), totaling just over $269,000, will allow for certification for pump operators and aerial operators. The grant requires a 10% match by the city, which brings the budget for the training up to about $296,000.

“There’s no partisanship about this work,” Blumenthal said to a group of firefighters gathered at Engine Company 4 on Vincent P. Kelly Road. “Firefighting is really a calling.”

Training, the senator continued, is vital for firefighters to be able to “confront the unknown” and save lives. 

“We know how important training is,” Blumenthal said. “We want to provide the best training and equipment in Bristol and all over the state.”

“I can’t thank you enough, except to get more money for you,” he told the 15 or so firefighters at Engine Company 4.

Fire Chief Richard Hart said the FEMA funds will help with crucial training in light of a number of retirements from the fire department over the summer.

“We have to get drivers certified,” Hart said. “This will allow us to train more drivers and operators than we’ve ever had.”  

According to city officials, this is the third consecutive AFG training grant the Bristol Fire Department has received. These grants have totaled nearly $571,000.

“This is a great sign for this department to train and continue to learn,” Mayor Jeffrey Caggiano, adding that firefighters are building a “top-class training center right here in Bristol.”

Engine Company 4 was the last new firehouse built in Bristol, having been completed in 2016. This project included the renovation of about 3,400 square feet and an addition of 6,050 square feet. The training tower on the property was also built at that time.

According to federal officials, “the primary goal of the AFG is to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters with respect to fire-related hazards by providing direct financial assistance to eligible fire departments, nonaffiliated Emergency Medical Services (EMS) organizations, and State Fire Training Academies (SFTA). 

FEMA says the AFG program has helped firefighters and other first responders to obtain “critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training, and other resources needed to protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards since 2001.”

Justin Muszynski can be reached at 860-973-1809 or jmuszynski@bristolpress.com.

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