Google Nest and The Leary Firefighters Foundation Team Up To Award $25,000 “THANK YOU” Grant To Mendham Fire Department/Mendham Independent Hook & Ladder in Time for Thanksgiving
As families prepare to gather for a safe Thanksgiving holiday, Google Nest has teamed up with The Leary Firefighters Foundation to announce the Mendham Fire Department/Mendham Independent Hook & Ladder as a recipient of the company’s 5th annual $25,000 grant for new Google technology to enhance community safety.
Google Nest, manufacturer of the Nest Protect Smoke and CO alarm, and The Leary Firefighters Foundation, founded by actor and activist Denis Leary, have partnered for the 5th annual “Thank You Grant” in 2021. In the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, the grant will award two deserving fire departments across the country with $25,000 grants for new Google technology and equipment so they are better equipped to serve their communities.
“We’re thrilled and incredibly grateful to Google Nest and The Leary Firefighters Foundation for this grant, and we believe it will greatly enhance our ability to better serve the greater Mendham community,” said Michael Orgera, Deputy Chief, Mendham Fire Department. “We’ve been talking for a while about how we can bring more training directly into our department, and leverage newer technology and products to better equip our volunteers. This grant enables us to not just upskill our own volunteers, but potentially other nearby departments as well. Thank you to both organizations for their generous grant, and we’re anxious to put this new technology to work for our community.”
With the largest junior training program in their county that works with students ages 15-18 to train them for fire school, the Mendham Fire Department will greatly benefit from this new technology grant. Although the department receives funds from their local jurisdiction, they have been unable to keep up with the 10-20% increase in expenses per year. During COVID-19, the department was unable to fundraise at their typical in-person events, leading to further gaps in their overall budget. Despite these challenges, the department remains eager to improve their training and technology. This dedication to their community is more than deserving of 2021’s “Thank You Grant,” and Google is thankful for the department’s unwavering commitment to their service area.
“For the past 116 years, the all-volunteer Mendham Fire Department has responded to every call and every alarm, diligently serving the residents of our and surrounding communities,” Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner said. “We’re grateful for this much-needed grant and recognition, and are confident it will help positively transform how our [fire department] serves the Mendham community and beyond.”
Google’s ongoing partnership with the Leary Firefighters Foundation has distributed over $250,000 in technology to deserving fire departments across the country, including 2019 recipients the Godfrey Fire Protection District (IL) and the Clinton Fire Department (IA).
Quotes from the Mendham Fire Department/Mendham Independent Hook & Ladder are available upon request.
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CONTACT: Betsi Schumacher, betsi@3rdcoastpr.com, (773) 208-668, for Mendham Fire Department, Tony Telloni, tony.telloni@mendhamfd.net
