Cradlepoint, which provides cloud-delivered LTE and 5G wireless network edge solutions, in partnership with Verizon Frontline, an advanced network and technology for first responders, created and funded a $50,000 grant to The Leary Firefighters Foundation to upgrade public safety technology. The grant is intended to help fire departments across the country survey their technology needs and fill in funding gaps.
The grant is part of Cradlepoint’s FirstConnect program, which aims to ease the challenges often faced by first responder organizations. These challenges include applying for grant monies to help fund purchases, the installation of in-vehicle routers, training of IT and operational staff, and around the clock priority access to knowledgeable support resources.
“Firefighters never go on strike, and as a result, they are often an easy target for government budget cuts. Grants like this allow us to continue our mission — providing equipment, vehicles, education, training, and technology for firefighters nationwide,” said Denis Leary, founder of The Leary Firefighters Foundation.
Cradlepoint and Verizon Frontline will continue their support of the public safety community with representatives attending the LFF’s annual FDNY Firefighter Challenge on Friday, May 6, in celebration of International Firefighters Day. Through Verizon Frontline, the carrier offers mobile plan and product discounts to active and retired first responders.
The Leary Firefighters Foundation was established in 2000 by actor Denis Leary in response to a fire in his hometown of Worcester, MA that claimed the lives of his cousin, a childhood friend, and four other firefighters. The Foundation has been able to provide nearly $2 million to the families of the 343 firefighters that perished on 9/11, another $500,000 to the Boston Fire Department for new equipment, and collaborated on a new high tech “burn building” at a training center in Worcester as a nod to Denis’ cousin Jerry Lucey and the other “Worcester Six” firefighters that lost their lives.
Reader Interactions