Oakdale Fire Department Wins $261,160 Grant

 The Oakdale Fire Department is $261,160 richer today.

Gary Murphy, Oakdale’s chief, received word Wednesday that the department had been awarded a grant for more than a quarter of a million dollars in federal funding from the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA.

The grant comes through SAFER, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program and, Murphy said, may be used in all sorts of ways to retain the firefighters the department has.

The money can be used for training and recruitment, can be used to cover health insurance costs, to give gas stipends to firefighters for going out on calls, can be used to buy uniforms or even pay for education.

One firefighter earned his doctorate in engineering, Murphy said, because of a similar grant five years ago.

While the money can’t be used to pay volunteer firefighters, Murphy said, “it covers a lot of other things so we can keep them.”

Across the state, according to Congressman Joe Courtney’s office, the Connecticut Fire Chiefs Association won a total of $790,280 in SAFER grants this week.

“Having a well-trained, reliable corps of volunteer firefighters who can safely and effectively respond to local emergencies is a key part of keeping our communities safe,” Courtney said.  

SAFER is part of the Department of Homeland Security’s larger Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. Since 2001, according to a press release from Courtney’s office, the AFG has provided approximately $4.6 billion in grants to first-responder organizations.

Murphy said that since 9-11, the Oakdale department has received $754,000 in grants.

Mark Waters, who is a lieutenant in the New London Fire Department, Murphy said, wrote the grant.