BUXTON – U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree announced Wednesday that the Buxton Fire Department will receive a federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant for $441,460 to hire four, full-time firefighters for two years.
“This is great news,” Buxton Fire Chief Nathan Schools said in a statement. “We are predominantly a volunteer fire department and these new positions will be especially helpful in improving coverage during the day when our volunteers are at their other jobs.”
“That is terrific,” Buxton Selectwoman Jean Harmon said on Wednesday about the grant award.
Harmon said Schools would be advertising soon to fill the positions. Now, Schools is Buxton’s only full-time firefighter.
The Department of Homeland Security administered the grant.
“Maine municipalities are struggling these days to cover essential services with fewer and fewer resources, and that has meant things like emergency departments going understaffed,” Pingree said in the grant announcement.
“That’s what makes these SAFER grants so critical for a state like ours – communities can get help to cover their needs without having to raise taxes or cut other services. I’m so glad Buxton will receive this federal investment so it can strengthen its emergency response team to keep residents safe.”
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