NORFOLK - The fire department has learned from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) it has been selected as a grant recipient for the Assistance to Firefighter Grant program.

The grant award, for $11,044, will benefit full time and call firefighters through the purchase of new fire helmets, firefighting gloves, protective hoods and personal flashlights, which are attached to firefighters' coats.

Given funding reductions, the department has sought to obtain money for even these most basic firefighting necessities, Fire Chief Cole Bushnell said.

"While the department has received a fair portion of municipal funding for such equipment, we remain aware of the need to seek alternative funding options," Bushnell said, adding the department continues to acquire funds to replace firefighting coats and pants, half of which was last funded by the town last year.

The grant is the third from FEMA secured by the department since 2004, bringing the total to over $100,000. In 2004, the department obtained $67,806 for the replacement of firefighters' air breathing equipment. In 2005 FEMA awarded the local department $30,176, which was used to train firefighters as fire inspectors, allowing the department to ensure all commercial buildings are inspected on an annual basis, Bushnell said. "The credit for securing these grants rests with the work and dedication of Captain Peter Petruchik, who has authored the applications," Bushnell said. "Without his drive to continue in the grant competition arena, the department's success would have been minimized," he said.