Posts Tagged area fire department receives FEMA grant
The Daily Herald has an article about the Streamwood Fire Department reopening a fire station after being closed for four years.
Nearly four years after what some residents saw as the sudden closing of a Streamwood firehouse, officials have quietly reopened the station thanks to a grant that put more firefighters on the job. The Park Boulevard station began operating again this week. At least three firefighter-paramedics are now assigned there for each 24-hour shift.
Fire Chief Chris Clark said Friday he expects the reopening to reduce the time it takes for crews to respond to emergencies, especially along Lake Street where industrial developments have popped up on what was vacant land in recent years. Facilities like a 24-hour food processing plant have contributed to a rise in calls for service on the village’s south side, Clark said.
In December 2012, Streamwood won a $627,000 federal grant to hire three firefighters. Only one other department in the state received the funding administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The grant enabled the department to bring its ranks up to 50 firefighting personnel. With the grant, provided by the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program, the department can now run three-person crews in all of the stations.
Streamwood weathered the economic slump by reducing the force to 47 firefighting positions through attrition. The department also eliminated the position of a full-time fire inspector who retired and reassigned those duties to other staffers. And in April 2010, the department shuttered the Park Boulevard station, sparking a protest and fears of an increase in response times. But officials defended the move, arguing that the closing improved operations.
Matt Dobson, who spearheaded the public outcry, wanted more of a heads-up to neighborhoods affected by the change. Village officials, though, say they reviewed the closing in a budget meeting. Dobson learned the station had reopened only when he drove by and saw the American flag flying outside the entrance. Up until Monday, the department used the station for training and storage of equipment.
Streamwood must keep the three firefighter-paramedics on the job for two years. With a rebounding local economy, the chief expects the department to retain them even longer.“We are very confident that we will be able to maintain those positions through our current revenue streams,” he said.
thanks Dan
Several area fire departments will receive FEMA funding in the form of grants.
From the pjstar.com:
Federal officials are delivering $1.33 million in grants to Illinois fire departments and municipalities to help them better prepare for fires and other emergencies.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin — a Democrat from Springfield — says the Assistance to Firefighters Grant funding comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. That’s a division of the Department of Homeland Security.
Wednesday’s announcement includes grants for:
- Amboy Fire Department, $6,000
- Bridgeview, $125,000
- Crossville Volunteer Fire Department, $111,000
- Carpentersville Fire Department, $10,000
- Champaign Fire Department, $249,000
- Dixmoor Fire Department, $88,000
- Garden Homes Fire Protection Districts, $34,000
- Grand Ridge Volunteer Fire Department, $90,000
- Metropolis Fire Department, $66,000
- Pleasantview, $72,000
- Riverdale Fire Department, $55,000
- Spring Bay Fire Protection District, $115,000
- Union Fire Protection District, $60,000
- Wauconda Fire District, $248,000
thanks Chris
According to the City of North Chicago website:
Federal Grant sparks hiring initiative at North Chicago Fire Department
$764,000 FEMA grant to aid in hiring of up to six firefightersNorth Chicago, IL (March 20, 2013) – North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham announced … it will bolster the ranks of the city’s fire department by adding as many as six new firefighters. The hiring initiative, which will allow the Department to more fully staff each shift, comes thanks to a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant.
The grant, which is funded through the Department of Homeland Security’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program, provides the North Chicago Fire Department with $764,000 to hire and train six firefighters/paramedics.
Mayor Rockingham thanked US Senator Dick Durbin and Congressman Brad Schneider for supporting efforts to secure the funding, which is part of a Department of Homeland Security program to help local fire departments maintain 24-hour staffing and ensure that they are able to adequately provide emergency services to communities.
The City applied for the grant in August 2012, citing attrition of experienced firefighters and EMS professionals in the department as a need to bolster staffing.
“Our nation’s firefighters are called upon day after day to protect America’s citizens,” Durbin said. “As these brave men and women put themselves in harm’s way, we must ensure that our fire departments have enough trained firefighters and that they are equipped with the best resources possible to do their jobs well.”
“I am so happy that North Chicago has earned grants that will allow them to enhance operations and hire more critically-needed firefighters,” Schneider said. “Our dedicated first responders put their lives on the line to protect us every day from harm, and it’s essential we provide them with the resources they need to keep our communities safe.”
The City maintains a list of eligible, potential employees based on an entrance exam it administered last fall. Candidates for the positions will be individuals whose names are on that list.
North Chicago Fire Chief Dell Urban said news of the grant was welcomed enthusiastically by members of the Department, who can now look forward to more robust coverage on shifts and emergency calls.
“We’re doing a great job with the resources we have, but any firefighter or paramedic will tell you that having more men and women in the department makes us all safer and better equips us to respond to emergencies and serve North Chicago residents more effectively,” said Urban. “Our firefighters are always working hard to secure available resources so that we can perform our jobs at the highest level possible. They should be commended for their work to secure this funding.”
Rockingham has asked Urban to move quickly to begin the hiring process. Both expect to bring new professionals on board within the next two months.
From myFoxChicago.com:
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – Fire departments in Illinois will share more than $1.5 million in grant money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin announced the grants, which come from the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. In the Chicago area, fire departments in Bellwood, Bolingbrook, Calumet City, North Riverside and Leyden will receive money. Calumet City will get nearly $380,000 and Westchester will receive about $440,000.
In central Illinois, departments in Standard, Urbana and Elkhart will receive funding. The southern Illinois towns of Alton, Ashley, Centralia, Granite City and Washington County will also get money.
From Ryan Wyckoff:
Bellwood recieved a FEMA Grant and will use it for a new truck. They are purchasing a stock 95' E-One Tower Ladder. Expected delivery is May after some very minor compartment and graphics modifications.
Here is a listing of Illinois departments that have received FEMA Grant Awards for apparatus.
Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) - Award Year 2011
An article in the Quincy Herald Whig mentions several area departments that will receive FEMA grants.
The largest grant of $262,560 will go to the Skokie Fire Department …
The Lemont Fire Protection District will receive $165,240, Crestwood will get $87,077, the Emington-Campus Fire Protection District will get $75,881, and the Posen Fire Department will get $6,732.
