VIDEO: A large federal grant is bringing more than $500,000 in new, state-of-the-art safety equipment to the Connecticut Fire Academy, replacing decades-old gear and giving future firefighters advanced tools designed to help them survive dangerous conditions.
The funding, provided through a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant focused on firefighter training, allowed the academy to purchase 51 new self-contained breathing apparatuses, or SCBAs, replacing training equipment that had been in use for about 20 years.
โItโs a lot better technology than we ever had before,โ said logistics coordinator Scott Poulton.
Poulton said the new equipment had been at the top of his wish list. The SCBAs function as a firefighterโs primary lifeline while operating in hazardous environments. Each unit includes enhanced safety features that monitor movement and trigger alerts if a firefighter becomes unresponsive.
