The East Haven Fire Department is getting new cold-water rescue suits, paid for by a $1,000 grant from the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority.
The RWA announced the awards on Wednesday, Oct. 28, in recognition of National First Responders Day. In all, the water authority is handing out about $17,000 in Emergency Responder Grants this year: $1,000 each to 17 fire departments, EMS providers and emergency agencies across the communities it serves.
According to the RWA, East Haven’s grant will buy cold-water rescue suits that firefighters can deploy during water emergencies. With Long Island Sound along the town’s southern shore, the Farm River on its eastern edge and Lake Saltonstall to the north, East Haven crews can be called to water at any time of year, and the risk climbs as water temperatures drop in late fall and winter.
Who else got grants
East Haven is one of several shoreline departments using this year’s money for water rescue. According to the RWA’s list of recipients:
- West Haven Fire Department: a handheld sonar device to help locate submerged victims
- New Haven Fire Department: a marine recovery cradle
- North Haven Community Emergency Response Team (CERT): cold-weather apparel for volunteers
- Branford: fuel pads
- Guilford: slow-close hydrant valves
An RWA representative will present the checks to each agency in person.
“Trusted partners”
“Strong communities depend on strong partnerships,” RWA Police Capt. Paul Ruggiero said in the authority’s announcement. “Our local fire departments, EMS providers, and emergency responders are trusted partners who often work side by side with us in the field, serving and protecting our residents every day. We’re honored to support their work through this grant program and help provide resources that make a meaningful difference in the field.”
The RWA has its own police force, which patrols the authority’s reservoirs and watershed land, including the trails around Lake Saltonstall, so its officers regularly work alongside town fire crews on rescues and emergencies on RWA property.
Third year of the program
The Emergency Responder Grant Program launched in 2024 and is now in its third year. The RWA says applications have nearly tripled since the start, and the program has distributed more than $47,000 so far.
This is not the first time East Haven firefighters have benefited. In last year’s round, the department received $1,000 for rope rescue equipment for technical rescues on the Lake Saltonstall ridge and other RWA properties. That check was presented with Fire Chief Matthew Marcarelli and Mayor Joseph Carfora.
The Regional Water Authority is a nonprofit public agency that supplies drinking water to more than 430,000 people in 15 municipalities in the greater New Haven area, including East Haven. More about the grant program is on the RWA’s First Responder Grants page.
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