WASHINGTON -- U.S. Representative Michael G. Oxley (R-Findlay) announced today that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has approved a $52,164 grant for the New Knoxville-Washington Township Fire Department.

“Competition for fire grants is always tough, and New Knoxville is once again a most deserving recipient,” Oxley said.  “This funding will help the area’s first responders be better prepared to fight fires and save lives throughout the township.”

Oxley wrote to DHS officials in April in support of New Knoxville’s application.  The money will be put toward the purchase of a refurbished brush truck to replace a 35-year-old vehicle in the department’s fleet.

The funding is made available through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program, funded at $550 million for Fiscal Year 2006.  Roughly 18,000 career and volunteer fire departments applied for funding this year, submitting requests totaling more than $2.3 billion.

Since the program’s inception in 2001, nearly $7.9 million has been awarded to fire departments in Ohio’s Fourth Congressional District.  New Knoxville received $100,019 in AFG Program funding in 2004 for personal protective equipment and other items.

“The AFG Program is a wise investment in public safety,” Oxley stated.  “Our citizens and communities are better protected because of it.”

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