The City of Newport today announced that it has been awarded a $738,881.31 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
According to the city, the grant will help pay for training a minimum of 15 Firefighters to the Paramedic Level of Prehospital Emergency Medical Care Licensing.
The grant, which was secured through the efforts of Newport Fire Department staff with the support of Rhode Island’s Congressional Delegation led by the office of U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), stipulates that $671,710.28 will be provided by FEMA, with a $67,171.03 match provided by the City of Newport.
The funds will pay for the cost of training and compensating the 15 participating Firefighters for the nearly 1,300 hours of combined classroom and clinical observation training time required to achieve a paramedic level licensing.
Presently, the city of Newport is one of only two Municipal Fire Departments in the State of Rhode Island that are licensed to provide Paramedic level Prehospital Emergency Medical Care and Treatment.
At its conclusion, this grant will nearly double the department’s number of licensed paramedics.
The delivery of the highest level of state-of-the-art Emergency Medical Care in the Prehospital setting can only result in more lives saved and tragedies prevented.
