The Greenwich Fire Department landed an $81,200 federal grant for water-supply training, targeting the Backcountry, where no municipal hydrants exist.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded the money through its fiscal year 2025 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program, the department said in a news release reported by Patch on Monday, Sept. 28. The funding covers two certification courses for career and volunteer firefighters.

The first, Pumping Apparatus Driver/Operator training, focuses on pump operations. The second, Tanker Shuttle Operator training, teaches crews how to set up a static water supply and coordinate apparatus movement to keep water flowing at a fire scene.

"This is especially important in the Backcountry, where the absence of municipal hydrants, combined with large properties, extended setbacks and lengthy driveways, can create additional challenges for fire suppression," Assistant Fire Chief Charles Lubowicki said in the release.

Without hydrants, firefighters must truck water to the scene and relay it through tanker shuttles. Large lots and long driveways common in northern Greenwich stretch those supply lines further.

Fire Chief Joseph McHugh said the grant gives the department a chance to sharpen skills across its ranks. He called a reliable water supply "one of the most fundamental requirements of an effective fire attack" and said the challenge grows when a fire breaks out in an area without hydrants.

The department also expects the training to improve coordination with mutual-aid departments that respond alongside Greenwich crews.

Greenwich's application was one of roughly 1,800 AFG awards FEMA planned to make this cycle, drawn from 8,426 applications and backed by $291.6 million in total program funding, according to the Federal Register. The program requires a local cost-share, though the town's match amount has not been disclosed.

No start date for the training has been announced.