Grant to Scranton Fire Department Insures Safe Response for Emergencies

SCRANTON, Pa. – The American Water Charitable Foundation today provided a $4000 community safety grant to the Scranton Fire Department, which the organization used to purchase signal preemption devices that communicate with traffic signals to ensure right-of-way for emergency vehicles. 

“With this grant, our department will be able to ensure safe response to emergencies in the city,” said Acting Scranton Fire Chief Patrick DeSarno. The department purchased three preemption devices for emergency vehicles. The devices are recommended for emergency response vehicles to minimize traffic issues and response time. 

“The dedicated firefighters serving the city of Scranton devote their lives and special talents to protect this community. We want to recognize them and lend our assistance by providing some of the resources they need to do their jobs,”said Pennsylvania American Water President Kathy L. Pape.

Established in 2010, the American Water Charitable Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides a formal way to demonstrate American Water’s ongoing commitment to being a good neighbor, citizen, and contributor to the communities where the company and its employees live, work and operate. The Foundation also helps support American Water employee-identified nonprofit endeavors.

Pennsylvania American Water,  a subsidiary of American Water, is the largest water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 2.2 million people. Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs approximately 6,700 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 14 million people in more than 30 states and parts of Canada.