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Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI) announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded $149,546 to two fire departments in Genesee County. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Fire Administration awarded these funds to the Argentine Township Fire and Rescue and the Linden Fire Department under the 2004 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program for Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety.
“We must continue to provide more funding to ensure the safety and preparedness of those brave men and women who continually risk their lives to protect our lives,” said Kildee. “These funds will enable our local fire departments to pursue new training and wellness programs and to provide them with access to new equipment.”
These local fire departments were selected to receive federal grants in order to help fund training activities and purchase new protective firefighter equipment. The Argentine Township Fire and Rescue will receive $51,336 and the Linden Fire Department will receive $98,210 under FEMA’s Firefighters Grant Program.
The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program is designed as an opportunity for the U.S. Congress to work with Federal Emergency Management Agency to enhance basic fire service delivery across the country. Fire Departments nationwide will receive over $750 million to support fire protection, EMS delivery, and vehicle purchase and prevention programs in 2004. FEMA received approximately 19,950 applications this year from fire departments across the country.
The Argentine Township Fire and Rescue and the Linden Fire Department were two of only five Michigan fire departments that were fortunate enough to receive money under this latest round of funding. The competitive grant was awarded to these two local fire departments after a national peer review process was conducted involving over 300 fire service leaders who evaluated and scored each application. |
