Burbank firefighters get new radios

The Burbank Fire Department received a $15,000 grant Tuesday to buy nine new portable radios, which officials called a “huge safety bonus” for the department.

The grant, awarded to the department by the Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, will allow the department to add radios on each engine and truck company, said Burbank Fire Chief Tom Lenahan.

“We’re extremely appreciative,” Lenahan said, adding that in the past, the agency has funded firefighter training.

“One of the grants we previously received funded a simulator that teaches firefighters to recognize the signs of a possible flashover — and the training has been credited with saving firefighters from this dangerous scenario caused by a room superheating to its ignition point,” Lenahan said in a statement.

Since 2004, the agency has distributed more than $30 million in grants to more than 1,900 different organizations, according to a press release. More than $400,000 has gone to Burbank.

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Follow Alene Tchekmedyian on Google+ and on Twitter: @atchek.

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