WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will award more than $450,000 in grant funding to three Maine fire departments through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. Buxton Fire Department will receive $238,435. Bath Fire Department will receive $163,810, and Westport Volunteer Fire Department will receive $54,744.

“Every day, firefighters in Maine bravely answer the call to keep people in our state safe,” Senators Collins and King said in a joint statement. “These grants will give the firefighters in Buxton, Bath, and Westport the resources they need to safely respond to emergencies and ensure the continued protection of our communities.”

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant was created to help provide funds for fire departments and non-affiliated emergency medical service organizations so that they can purchase equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training, and other resources to better protect the public and emergency personnel. FEMA is an agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.