U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, on Friday announced that the Salem Fire Department will receive a $12,048 Operation & Safety Grant to acquire a thermal imaging camera, which will enable firefighters to do things such as see through smoke and locate fires within walls.

The grant was made available through the federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program under the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“Through this grant, Salem’s first responders will have greater capability to protect their fellow citizens. These AFG grants provide critical, supplemental funding to keep our towns’ firefighters equipped with the latest and most effective tools to perform their jobs skillfully and safely,” Courtney said in a statement.

Salem Fire Chief Richard W. Martin said the department recently had completed a risk assessment for any immediate needs, and found that a new thermal imaging camera was “mission critical” to increase the safety of firefighters and residents.

“This will aid in the efficiency and effectiveness of a job that we all volunteer and love to do. The long process was completed by our volunteers to relieve the burden on our taxpayers and help our small community,” Martin said in a statement.