Providence Fire Department receives new equipment including 6 new vehicles

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — The Providence Fire Department showed off six new pieces of apparatus on Friday.

A spokesperson for the department said six out of eight new Providence Fire Department vehicles, including four engines, one Tower Ladder, and one Special Hazards truck were unveiled.

According to the department, a new Rescue and Aerial truck will also be added to the fleet within the next few weeks.

"I take great pride in knowing that we are providing our firefighters with the best equipment to keep them and our residents safe," said Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza. "I want to thank our federal delegation and the City Council for their continued support of our emergency service professionals and the resident of our city."

The vehicles were purchased through grant funding awarded to the fire department under FEMA's Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG), and also the city.

"The Providence Fire Department is one of the busiest fire departments in the nation, responding to a high volume of calls each day," said Commissioner Steven Pare. "It is imperative that the men and women of the PFD are provided with the necessary resources to serve the City of Providence to the best of their ability and the addition of these new vehicles will be an integral part of continuing that mission. I thank the members of the federal delegation and City Council for their continued support and commitment to public safety."

The spokesperson said $750,000 of federal funding through the 2018 AFG was used to purchase the Special Hazards Truck, $921,262 of federal funding through the 2019 AFG was used to purchase one of the Aerial trucks, $1,313,522 of city funding was used to purchase the Tower Ladder, $1,796,636 was used to purchase the four engines, and $222,882 was used to purchase the Rescue.