Allingtown firefighters getting new gear

By Abbe Smith, Register Staff
Published: Monday, September 8, 2008 6:23 AM EDT

WEST HAVEN — Firefighters in the Allingtown Fire Department will soon be a little safer after the arrival of new protective gear, expected in the coming weeks.

The department is the recipient of a $23,074 Assistance to Firefighters Grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency. The money was used to purchase a dozen sets of personal protective clothing for firefighters to wear when battling a blaze.

“The 12 sets I am replacing are pretty much deteriorated and not safe anymore,” Fire Chief Peter Massaro said Wednesday. “You’ve got to have safe stuff.”

The gear that is being replaced is more than 7 years old, which is about the life expectancy for that kind.

Massaro said he wrote the request for the grant, which originally totaled $24,288. The department is responsible for 5 percent of that amount, which totals about $1,200.

Overall, Massaro said the grant is saving the district and the taxpayers money. “It is $23,000 we don’t have to take out of our pockets,” he said, adding: “It is a great thing.”

The new equipment should take about six to eight weeks to arrive.

The grant money comes as the Allingtown Fire Department continues operating without an approved budget this year. The cash-strapped fire district is grappling with how to address a sizable budget shortfall that resulted when the department spent a $400,000 overpayment the city mistakenly gave them.

Earlier this year, news broke that the city made $3.2 million in overpayments to the three fire districts in late 2006 and early 2007. The city later forced each district to pay the money back.

In Allingtown, however, fire commissioners included that money when compiling the 2007-08 budget. Commissioners in the Center and West Shore districts set aside the extra money while determining its source, and therefore did not have a major budgeting problem on their hands.

Massaro said there is still no meeting scheduled to approve a budget for the department. He said he anticipates a meeting being scheduled after the district receives all of its financial information from the city that was held up by the delayed audit.

The national Assistance to Firefighters Grant awards will ultimately provide about $560 million to fire departments and emergency medical service organizations in the country.

Abbe Smith can be reached at asmith@nhregister.com or 789-5615.