East Windsor Fire Co. #1 Recoups $50K for Township

Chief Kevin Brink presented Mayor Janice Mironov with a "check" for $50,160 at the Township Committee's May 17 meeting.

The check will reimburse the township for the money it put out in 2009 for turnout gear for the fire company, Chief Brink said Jim McCann, who was chief at the time, applied for a firefighting grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and FEMA recently awarded the money to the company.

"Not knowing that we were going to get the grant… the town purchased us the turnout gear that we needed," Chief Brink said. "It’s one of our basic tools; without that turnout gear we couldn’t fight fires."

Mayor Mironov said the company's willingness to reimburse the township "is an example of just what a bargain and what a treasure the citizens of our community have.

"First of all, we have individuals who're willing to step forward and get trained and volunteer their time," she continued. "But not only that, they're cognizant of the fact that money is precious and in public government it can be a real challenge."

After the meeting, the mayor said the money won't affect this year's tax rate, but it will go into the township's account for capital expenditures and could have a positive impact down the line.