CRANFORD – The Cranford Fire Department (CFD) announced the department was awarded $40,000 from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Firefighter Grant.

“Excellent work by Fire Chief Dan Czeh and Battalion Chief Matt Lubin on putting this grant together. Securing these funds will help fund six sets of turn out gear for our firefighters and contributes to keeping township costs lower by not adding to our capital budget,’ said Public Safety Commissioner Paul A. Gallo.

GovernorPhilMurphyannounced,March 13 in a release, the award of $20 million in ARP Firefighter Grants to local and regional firedepartmentsacrossNewJerseytoensure firefighters have proper protective, cleaning, and sanitization equipment. This marks the second time the CFD has received funding from the ARP Firefighter Grant, following last year’s $35,000 award.

Turn out gear, with a lifespan of about 10 years, plays a crucial role in protecting firefighters, Fire Chief Czeh said. In situations when firefighters are exposed to smoke and hazardous carcinogens, the turn out gear must undergo a thorough cleansing routine to remove those byproducts as a mean of cancer prevention in our firefighters, he explained. Firefighters face a 9 percent increase in cancer diagnoses, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The ARP Firefighter Grant will ensure all 30 career firefighters in the CFD have a second set of turn out gear available, enabling them to respond to calls even when their primary gear is being cleaned.