The Department of Homeland Security has approved emergency-response grants to fire departments of North Carolina localities totaling $776,206.
North Carolina’s grants were among 283 given to fire departments throughout the United States in the sixth round of the fiscal 2005 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. The program will issue about 5,500 awards worth $600 million in direct assistance to firefighters and first responders throughout the country.
“We recognize the importance of the Fire Act Grants to our nation’s fire departments and we will continue to work closely with the fire service community to meet their needs,” said Matt Mayer, acting executive director of the Office for State and Local Government Coordination & Preparedness.
This round of grants, announced on Friday, provides more than $30.6 million to help local fire departments and emergency medical services organizations purchase or receive training, first-responder health and safety programs, equipment and response vehicles.
The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program includes grants to the fire departments and emergency medical services organization in North Carolina for:
• Faison Fire & Rescue Inc., Faison—$91,361;
• Deep Gap Volunteer Fire Department, Deep Gap— $19,380;
• Wittenburg Volunteer Fire Department, Taylorsville—$30,719;
• Eli Whitney/87 South VFD, Snow Camp—$200,960;
• Swepsonville Fire Department, Swepsonville—$89,917;
• Conover Fire Department, Conover—$95,089;
• South Fork Volunteer Fire Department, Lincolnton—$73,597;
• Linville Volunteer Fire Department—$128,091;
• Enochville Fire and Rescue, China Grove—$47,092.
The grant program is administered by the Department’s Office for State and Local Government Coordination & Preparedness in cooperation with the department’s U.S. Fire Administration.
“As we continue to support firefighters across the nation through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, we commend those on the frontlines responding to Hurricane Katrina. With these funds, we ensure our nation’s firefighters have the basic capabilities to save lives and protect communities across America,” said Charlie Dickinson, deputy administrator of the DHS U.S. Fire Administration.
SLGCP is the principal federal agency responsible for the preparedness of the United States for acts of terrorism, including coordinating preparedness efforts at the federal level, and working with all state, local, tribal, parish, and private sector emergency response providers on all matters pertaining to combating terrorism, including training, exercises, and equipment support. To support this mission, SLGCP administers a number of programs that provide a wide array of support to the nation’s emergency preparedness and response community.
The United States Fire Administration is a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency within DHS. The mission of the fire administration is to reduce life and economic losses from fire and related emergencies, through leadership, advocacy, coordination, and support. For more information on USFA, please contact the website at http://www.usfa.fema.gov.