NORTH READING — Chief Don Stats is pleased to share that the North Reading Fire Department will share in a $708,818 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) via the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The grant will be shared among the North Reading, Danvers, Middleton, Lynnfield and Peabody Fire Departments.
On July 12, FEMA awarded $324 million in Assistance to Firefighters Grants to municipalities nationwide to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters against fire-related deaths and hazards.
According to FEMA, 2,300 people died in home fires in the United States in 2023, including 85 firefighters. Through the AFG grants, recipients will be able to fund critically needed resources to better equip and train emergency response personnel, enhance operational efficiencies, foster communications interoperability between emergency responders and support community risk reduction and resilience.
The departments will use the funding to implement the Blue Card Incident Command Training and Certification Program. Blue Card training uses a combination of online and simulation-based curricula to prepare first responders to make better decisions, potentially eliminating dangerous mistakes that may lead to injury, death, and unnecessary fire losses.
As the number of structure fires continues to decline, so does the experience level of fire officers and firefighters. Implementing Blue Card training will allow firefighters to have an incident command background to rely on in emergencies.
“Fire officers rely on intuitive, cue-based decision-making when faced with dynamic, time-sensitive situations, Officers draw from their past experiences to select and implement an action plan, often with little or no conscious thought,” Chief Stats said. “This training will introduce and reinforce critical concepts that will allow us to make the quickest and best decision in all situations.”
