Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and Fire Commissioner BJ Calvi joined with the Last Call Foundation and 9 Alarm Apparel for a special grant funding announcement today at the Springfield Fire Department headquarters. The Last Call Foundation will award the Springfield Fire Department with a $44,000 grant to exclusively procure two pairs of 9 Alarm Apparel, Inc. Defender Briefs for each of its 258 firefighter members.
Mayor Sarno states, “First of all, I want to thank our dedicated firefighters for being there for us each day, prepared to run toward danger to save lives and save structure. I want to commend Fire Commissioner BJ Calvi and his leadership team for being proactive and pursuing this unique grant initiative to help protect our brave and dedicated firefighters. Shout out to our Administrative Analyst Darcy Borecki and team for coordinating the effort to secure this funding which will help to provide our firefighters with an innovative technology and apparel to help keep them safe and protect them against cancer. I am proud of my administration’s efforts of pursuing these unique and innovative measures to help keep our first responders safe. I want to also thank the Last Call Foundation and 9 Alarm Apparel for their continued outreach and advocacy on behalf of our brave and dedicated firefighters.”
The Last Call Foundation, a 501(c)(3) was founded by Kathy Crosby-Bell in honor of her son, fallen firefighter Michael Kennedy, who along with Fire Lieutenant Edward Walsh died battling the nine-alarm fire on March 26, 2014 in Boston’s Back Bay. This tragedy highlighted the unique challenges facing firefighters. LCF is committed to identifying and addressing these challenges to enhance firefighters’ ability to safely and effectively fight fires to protect communities. It is committed to supporting firefighters everywhere because every firefighter is a hero every day. The Last Call Foundation provides grant funding to Fire Departments throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and beyond.
9 Alarm Apparel, Inc. was founded by firefighter Jonathan Bousquet and is headquartered in Massachusetts. Its mission is to assist and provide firefighters with tools (products) to reduce cancer risk. The groin is one of the most sensitive parts of the body due to skin permeability and close proximity of vascular and lymph networks. Groin absorption rates can be up to 50x greater than normal skin. The Defender Brief reduces skin exposure to cancerous particles.
