Blackstone Fire Department Secures $15,000 Grant for Swift Water Rescue Gear

The Blackstone Fire Department has gotten a grant to buy some swift water rescue gear. Fire Chief Kevin Roy says the Department has received the more than $15,000 grant through the Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant Program. Chief Roy says Blackstone will use the money to buy swift water rescue suits, helmets, gloves, ropes, and harnesses which he calls vital due to the Blackstone and Mill Rivers. He says they already have cold-water gear, but they are specific to non-moving water emergencies, like ice rescues on ponds and lakes. Swift water, he says, like rivers, requires different equipment.