Rutland firefighters get $300K to buy new air packs, turnout gear

TOWN OF RUTLAND, New York (WWNY) - The Rutland Volunteer Fire Department will be getting more than $300,000 to update some of its gear.

The department was awarded a grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.

The money will be used to buy 13 sets of new turnout gear as well as 28 air packs, which help firefighters breathe while battling fires. Chief Will Kalin says the money will go a long way to making sure the volunteers in his department have to most up-to-date equipment.

“Materials are always changing, technology is always changing, you know, so having new air packs, new turnout gear is going to allow us to perform our job in the safest manner possible,” he said.

Kalin says he’s working with outside vendors on maximizing their allocation to get the most out of it.

The Norfolk Fire Department also received nearly $144,000 and the West Stockholm Fire Department got more than $83,000 through the grant program.

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