McDONOUGH – The McDonough Fire Department is getting a financial boost from a federal grant that was announced to the department on Wednesday.

The department is slated to receive $23,810 in federal funding which will allow it to replace old and outdated equipment. Money was allocated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, a program geared toward meeting the needs of local fire departments by assisting with the high costs of equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources.

The volunteer-based McDonough department will use the money to purchase new fire turnout gear along with additional gloves and hoods for its firefighters.

“We’re going to put this money to good use,” said McDonough Fire Chief Donald Granger. “The life of a set of turnout gear is only about 10 years, and the 10 or 15 sets of gear we have we purchased 10 years ago, so this will help us replace what’s outdated.”