CONTACT:
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
202/225-3665
BOEHLERT ANNOUNCES OVER $150,000 IN GRANTS FOR LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-New Hartford) today announced $155,007 in federal grants for local fire departments from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP), in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration. The funds will be used for fire prevention and safety operations, which may include: public education and awareness activities; fire code enforcement, fire inspector certifications; purchase and installation of smoke alarms and fire suppression systems; and arson prevention and detection devices.
"Federal assistance provides Fire Departments with the necessary resources to enhance the safety and security of local residents," Boehlert said. "As a founding member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, Chairman of the House Science Committee which has jurisdiction over the U.S. Fire Administration, and a co-author of the original Firefighter grant program, I recognize the needs of our fire services across the United States to purchase life saving equipment needed to get the job done."
Awardees include:
- $23,563 - W.B. Strong Fire Company, Inc., Freeville (Tompkins County)
- $33,789 - Holland Patent Hose Company, Holland Patent (Oneida County)
- $25,977 - Paris Hill Volunteer Fire Co. Inc., Paris (Oneida County)
- $71,678 - Sherburne Fire Department, Sherburne (Chenango County)
The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFGP) awards one-year grants directly to fire departments to support the nation's firefighters and the services they deliver. For the 2005 program, Congress appropriated, and President Bush signed into law, $650 million in direct assistance to firefighters to improve the effectiveness of firefighting operations, firefighter health and safety programs, and to establish or expand fire prevention programs throughout the United States.
Applicants had to demonstrate financial need and articulate the benefits to be derived from the grant funds in their applications. The grants are intended to supplement a fire department's current budget rather than supplant it. Boehlert hosted fire grant writing workshops earlier this year in Herkimer and Cortland to empower local fire departments with the necessary knowledge to improve their individual fire grant applications.
Fire Departments in Rep. Boehlert's district have been awarded over $14 million since the program's inception in 2001, including almost $4 million in 2004 alone.
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