Fire Inspector Marsha Adell applied for and received the grant from FM Global.

By Ronni Newton

Fire Inspector Marsha Adell applied for and received a grant from FM Global for $3,468 which will be used to purchase specialized lighting equipment for the West Hartford Fire Marshal’s Office that will be used in the investigation of the cause of fires.

This is the second time Adell has received a grant from FM Global, an international commercial property insurer. In 2015, a successful grant application allowed the West Hartford Fire Department to purchase smoke alarms with visual aids for residents who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Adell noted that proper lighting is an important tool to help inspectors with the gathering of evidence and proper documentation at the scene to determine the origin and cause of a fire. Proper lighting not only assists with performing safe, accurate, and efficient investigations, Adell said, but is also critical for fire prevention and life safety inspections which are conducted daily as preventive measures.

“Ultimately, with each fire investigator having our own lighting units, we’ll make fire apparatus and personnel more readily available to meet the emergency demands of the community away from the scene we’re investigating,” Adell said. That’s in the best interest of both the department and the community.”

FM Global contributes millions of dollars in fire prevention grants to fire service organizations worldwide that demonstrate a need for funding to impact fire prevention or mitigation efforts. According to FM Global, fire continues to be the leading cause of property damage worldwide.

“At FM Global, we strongly believe the majority of property damage is preventable, not inevitable,” said Michael Spaziani, assistant vice president and manager of the fire prevention grant program. “Far too often, inadequate budgets prevent those organizations working to prevent fire from being as proactive as they would like to be. With additional financial support, grant recipients are actively helping to improve property risk in the communities they serve.”

To learn more about FM Global’s Fire Prevention Grant Program and other resources for the fire service, please visit www.fmglobal.com/fireservice.

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