Poughkeepsie”™s Arlington Fire District received a $13,500 grant for new Firefighter Assist Search Team (FAST) equipment from a foundation created by actor/comedian Dennis Leary.
According to a post on the Arlington Fire District”™s Facebook page, the grant helped finance the acquisition of FAST Rope and Rescue Air Packs that will be used both within the district and in response calls to neighboring areas.
“FAST Teams are specialized teams of firefighters who stand ready at structure fires and other incidents to immediately rescue a firefighter who becomes injured, trapped or disoriented during a fire,” said the Facebook post. “Founded by well-known actor Denis Leary in 2000, the Leary Foundation has awarded over $2.7 million since 2014 to Fire Departments across the nation for improved equipment and training.”
The foundation was created following the deaths of six firefighters, including a cousin and a childhood friend of Leary, in a December 1999 fire in Worcester, Massachusetts.
