Berkshire Fire Departments Awarded FEMA Funds

11:02AM / Tuesday, October 13, 2026Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON — FEMA awarded over $14.7 million in grant funding for fire departments and other first responder organizations in Massachusetts.

FEMA disburses this money to support firefighters and other emergency personnel because they are often the first ones on the scene when disaster strikes.

In Berkshire County:

City of North Adams: $1 million for a vehicle award, pumper
Dalton Fire District: nearly $274,000 for portable radios
Town of Hancock: nearly $643,000 for a vehicle award, pumper
North Adams Ambulance Service: more than $409,000 for a vehicle award, ambulance

FEMA is administering these funds through its three Fiscal Year 2025 fire grant programs: the Assistance to Firefighters Grants, Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant program, and Fire Prevention and Safety grant program. FEMA published the funding opportunities in May 2026, making $648 million available across all three programs. Over the next week, FEMA will continue awarding these funds directly to fire departments, first responder agencies, and other organizations focused on fire prevention and firefighter safety.

This funding is part of nearly $32.5 million in grants to the six New England states under three Fiscal Year 2025 fire grant programs: the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG), Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program, and Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) grant program.

The funding announced today in Massachusetts includes nearly $11.7 million under FEMA's Assistance to Firefighters Grants. Recipients can use this money to outfit responders with compliant personal protective equipment, acquire emergency response vehicles, and develop health, wellness, and resiliency initiatives to prepare responders for incidents.

Tags: FEMA,

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

Save & Earn with Greylock

3.30% APY 6-month certificate. Click to learn more! Insured by NCUA.

www.greylock.org

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

First Responders Respond to Two Recent Accidents in North Adams

Staff Reports10:31AM / Tuesday, October 13, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — First responders in North Adams were called to two separate vehicle crashes in recent days, resulting in four hospitalizations.

According to North Adams 911, on Saturday, Oct. 10, around 2:30 p.m., there was a head-on collision between a car and a pickup truck on Curran Highway in front of Duke's Lumber.

Both vehicles were traveling northbound when one vehicle departed from its travel lane, clipping the rear of the other and causing it to roll over.

Four people were transported to the emergency department (ED), and both vehicles were towed from the scene.

The North Adams Fire Department, North Adams Police Department, and Northern Berkshire EMS were on the scene. A State Police officer was also on the scene.

On Tuesday, Oct. 13, around 6:25 a.m., there was a two-car motor vehicle accident between a pickup truck and an SUV on West Main Street.

North Adams 911 reported that the SUV was traveling west and the pickup was traveling east when the SUV left its travel lane and struck the rear of the truck, spinning it 180 degrees to face the opposite direction.

No one was transported to the hospital. Firefighters shielded the SUV window to make sure a dog in the passenger seat could not jump out and run away.

View Full Story