Londonderry fire station to benefit from federal grant

LONDONDERRY - Central fire station will be outfitted with sprinkler and fire alarm systems, thanks to a $50,544 federal grant.

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., announced the award yesterday. The grant is meant to benefit operations and safety.

"We're finally going to practice what we preach," fire Chief Kevin MacCaffrie said.

Without the award, the chief said, the town could not outfit the station with the safety equipment.

Londonderry is the latest of several local communities to be awarded money through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters grant program.

Windham, Danville and Hampstead are all receiving money through the program. Windham will purchase firefighter apparel with the $37,145 it received. Hampstead said it will purchase a vehicle exhaust removal system with the $59,855 it received. Danville received $38,855 in a federal grant.

This is the second grant the Londonderry Fire Department has received in recent months. The first was a $1.6 million federal stimulus grant to replace the North fire station. That grant was awarded in September.

"This has been a banner year for us," MacCaffrie said.

The town is waiting on a federal environmental assessment of the site of the new station on Grenier Field Road. MacCaffrie said the town hopes to break ground once that assessment is complete.

The new station will be similar to the South fire station on Route 102 that was built in 2006.

"We're shooting for May 1," MacCaffrie said.