U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) announced today that a $114,475 grant has been awarded to the Hinton Fire Department for operations and firefighter safety programs.

"Our firefighters face a whole host of life-threatening circumstances when they are called to action," Rahall said. "These brave men and women protect our communities from fires and also help in many other situations. Grants like this one better prepare these men and women and helps get them safely back to their homes and their families and for these reasons they are essential."

The funding comes from The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Assistance to Firefighters Grants program. This program has been providing funding to fire departments and other first responders since 2001. To date, a total of $2.4 billion in grants through the AFG program have been awarded to first-responder organizations to purchase response equipment, personal protective equipment, and vehicles.