Ted Kennedy, Jr. at Indian Neck Fire Station.
The 90-year-old Indian Neck Fire Station, housing volunteer Company 9, will be replaced with the help of a Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) grant. Branford’s legislative delegation announced the $500,000 grant yesterday.
Located at 6 – 10 Linden Ave., the new structure will be compliant with federal standards for storm resiliency. Company 9, which operates out of the Indian Neck Fire House, serves a large portion of Branford that includes some critical operations, such as the town’s water treatment plant on Block Island Road and the Eversource substation on Meadow Street.
Fire Chief Tom Mahoney told the Eagle, “We couldn’t be more pleased to hear our legislative team was successful in securing a STEAP grant to help funding a replacement of 90-year-old fire station 9 in Indian Neck. State Sen. Ted Kennedy, Jr. and state Representatives Lonnie Reed and Sean Scanlon know how much these volunteers give as well as how important a safe facility is to their success in protecting the community.”
Robert Massey, Jr, the chair of the Fire Commission said, “We are very appreciative to all for the progress made to date to make this 20-year effort a reality.”
“This new fire station will provide essential services and safety to thousands of community members, while also enhancing the economic and social well-being of the town,” Kennedy said. “…Our first responders are there for us; it’s important that we are there for them.”
Reed said in an interview, “The aging Indian Neck Firehouse was seriously battered by Irene and Sandy and the dedicated first responders stationed there have been struggling to do their jobs despite serious structural challenges. We fought hard for this grant to fund the kinds of repairs and upgrades that will give firefighters the resources they need to fully protect all of the residents and businesses who call the surrounding neighborhoods home.”
Company 9 serves the Indian Neck region of Branford, which is often isolated from the main part of town during weather emergencies.
Modernizing the firehouse has been one of Branford’s top infrastructure priorities for many years.
Legislators and Branford’s First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove agreed that the project was necessary for the protection of the town. “The new facility will meet the needs of the volunteer first responders, and enable Company 9 to minimize response time to emergency calls,” Cosgrove said.
Reed added, “There is a lot of work that goes into a STEAP grant. It takes diligence and dedication by many people. Our first responders at Indian Neck deserve to have up-to-date first class facilities.”
“Thanks to this new station, the volunteers from Company 9 can better serve the tens of thousands of residents in Indian Neck and Pine Orchard and I’m grateful to have worked with Captain Mullen, Chief Mahoney, and my colleagues in the Branford delegation to finally make this new station a reality,” said state Rep. Sean Scanlon.
###
