By Theresa Knapp 

The Hopedale Fire Department has received a grant in the amount of $291,326.19 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to purchase safety equipment. 

“This is the equipment that allows us to do our job,” Fire Chief Thomas Daige told the Board of Selectmen at their meeting on Sept. 13 as they accepted the award for the town. “It’s the air packs that we wear on our back to allow us to go into the hazardous environments that we deal with.” 

Call Lieutenant Matthew Berger wrote the grant in March and it was awarded in August. 

“We really were at the point where, if we didn’t have this grant, the town was going to have to do something because the equipment was that old,” Berger said. “Over at the fire station we’re doing everything we can to just try to find another means to cover these capital improvement projects that just need to be done.” 

Chief Daige said the equipment should arrive about six