WEST HAMLIN VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT RECEIVES ANOTHER GRANT
ROCKEFELLER, BYRD ANNOUNCE $108,781 GRANT FOR THE WEST HAMLIN VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
-Federal funds awarded through Department of Homeland Securitys Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program-
WASHINGTON, D.C. Senators Jay Rockefeller and Robert C. Byrd, both D-W.Va., today announced that the West Hamlin Volunteer Fire Department will receive $108,781 as part of the 2008Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. The funds will assist with updating operations and safety equipment.
First responders are the backbone of public safety and with this much-needed grant now secure they will be better equipped to protect the people of this community, said Rockefeller. These funds represent an important commitment by the federal government to make sure our first responders have everything they need to do their crucial, life-saving job.
For Fiscal Year 2008, the AFG program will award a total of approximately $500 million in direct assistance to fire department and emergency medical service organizations to improve the effectiveness of firefighting operations and emergency response capabilities. First responder organizations can use the funds to purchase response equipment, personal protective equipment and vehicles.
These grants, which support local fire departments and emergency medical services (EMS), will help make communities throughout West Virginia safer. Increasingly, emergency medical personnel are called upon to respond not only to fires and medical emergencies, but also to hazardous materials accidents and natural disasters. These grants directly fund efforts to improve the effectiveness of EMS and firefighting operations, to strengthen firefighter health and safety programs, and to establish and expand fire prevention programs, Byrd said.
AFG grants are funded through the annual Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act. Rockefeller has consistently supported funding for this program and for other first responder grant programs as well; and Byrd, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, has championed efforts to ensure funding and resources forAmericas first responders.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 2006
WASHINGTON, D.C. B Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) has announced that the West Hamlin Volunteer Fire Department is being awarded a $167,665 grant through round four of the 2006 Assistance to Firefighters Program.
“It is essential that our firefighters have the resources they need to do the invaluable job of protecting our communities in emergency situations,” said Rockefeller. “West Virginia’s firefighters are at the heart of quick emergency response and public safety – and I am pleased to see that the West Hamlin Volunteer Fire Department is receiving these much-needed funds to help continue its public service.”
The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program is administered through the Department of Homeland Security’s Preparedness Directorate Office of Grants and Training. For Fiscal Year 2006, the program will award approximately $485 million in direct assistance to fire department and emergency medical service organizations to improve the effectiveness of firefighting operations and emergency response capabilities.
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