Three Berkshire communities will share nearly $130,000 to upgrade their firefighting and first responder equipment.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded Hancock $80,000, Cheshire $34,329 and North Adams $14,524.
In all, FEMA doled out $4.5 million to 27 fire departments and agencies across the commonwealth. A third of that funding, $1.49 million, went to The Fire Protection Research Foundation in Quincy to study ways to decontaminate protective firefighting gear.
"The brave men and women who serve as firefighters and first responders in our state deserve the resources necessary to do their jobs effectively," said U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal. "These important grants will keep their cities and towns safe."
The three Berkshire recipients get to replace outdated equipment with state-of-the-art apparatus. Hancock will replace 12 air packs that firefighters strap to their backs when battling a blaze.
"The new ones have more safety features, are lighter than they used to be, last longer and hold more air,' said Hancock Fire Chief Mike Williams.
Cheshire and North Adams will spend their federal dollars on vehicle extrication equipment, the so-called "Jaws of Life."
Both municipalities have 30-year-old devices and the equipment has improved in three decades, according to local fire officials.
Cheshire Fire Chief Tom Francesconi and North Adams Fire Director Steve Meranti are looking to buy a cordless extrication tool, allowing firefighters to take them anywhere.
"They will be just as effective in a search and rescue of a building as they are in removing someone from a vehicle," Francesconi said.
Awarded since 9/11, the FEMA grants help local fire departments stay current in lean economic times for municipalities.
"These grants are so helpful to the North Adams Fire Department; without this [grant] program, we would be in tough shape," Meranti said.
