Boston City Council Unanimously Approves $2.7 Million in Fire Department Grants

BOSTON — June 12, 2024 — Boston City Council approves $2.7 million in fire department grants and passes racial equity study funding. The council voted unanimously at its June 12 session to accept three Boston Fire Department grants totaling $2,745,839.20, including a $1,604,014.20 federal hazmat grant, a $1,125,000 state fire training grant reduced by 50 percent from a $2.25 million appropriation through a 9C state budget cut, and a $16,825 FEMA port security grant covering fiscal years 2020 and 2021 that had been delayed due to administrative processing failures. Councilor Henry Santana, chair of the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, reported that funds will support ballistic protection equipment for active shooter response teams near Boston's port. The council also unanimously passed Docket 0989, accepting a $65,000 grant to update Boston's landmark 2015 Color of Wealth study, which found the median net worth of Black families in the city was $8; Councilor Fernandes-Anderson moved to suspend the rules and pass the docket immediately, noting that "data that is nearly a decade old has outlived its use."