WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Sherwood Boehlert (R-New Hartford)
announced last Thursday that $74,898 in federal funds would be awarded
to the Cooperstown Fire Department from the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security’s Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP), in cooperation with
the U.S. Fire Administration.
The grant comes as part of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant
Program (AFGP), which awards one-year grants directly to fire
departments to support the nation’s firefighters and the services they
deliver. A total of $737,849 has been dispersed amongst area fire
departments.
For the 2005 program, Congress appropriated, and President Bush
signed into law, $650 million in direct assistance to firefighters to
improve the effectiveness of fire fighting operations, firefighter
health and safety programs, and to establish or expand fire prevention
programs throughout the United States.
The funds will be used for the purchase of a new vehicle, and fire
prevention and safety, which may include: public education and
awareness activities; fire code enforcement, fire inspector
certifications; purchase and installation of smoke alarms and fire
suppression systems; and arson prevention and detection devices.
“This federal assistance will allow these fire departments to
purchase fire prevention equipment, and new fire fighting vehicles, as
well as enhance the safety and security of local residents,” Boehlert
said. “I commend the local fire departments for preparing winning
applications for these beneficial grants and will continue to do
everything I can at the federal level to support our firefighters.
“As a founding member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus,
chairman of the House Science Committee, which has jurisdiction over
the U.S. Fire Administration, and a co-author of the original
firefighter grant program, I recognize the needs of our fire services
across the United States to purchase life saving equipment needed to
get the job done.”
Applicants had to demonstrate financial need and articulate the
benefits to be derived from the grant funds in their application. The
grants are intended to supplement a fire department’s current budget
rather than supplant it. Boehlert hosted fire grant writing workshops
earlier this year in Herkimer and Cortland to empower local fire
departments with the necessary knowledge to improve their individual
fire grant applications.
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