Posts Tagged Department of Homeland Security

Calumet City Fire Department news

Excerpts from fox32chicago.com:

The Calumet City Fire Department received a federal grant for close to $1.9 million awarded by FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. The check was presented during a ceremony at city hall on Monday, and the nearly $1.9 million will be used to upgrade the department’s emergency fleet and equipment.

This is especially crucial for Calumet City, as its closest hospital — Franciscan Health Hammond, formerly St Margaret’s — closed a few months ago. The closure adds transport time during responses and additional strain on the department.

“The SAFER Grant will provide $1.9 million as was stated for three years, and unlike others, this is 100 percent funded,” said Fire Chief Glenn Bachert.

“These funds will allow Calumet City to hire more firefighters, and ensure that our fire department has the necessary staffing levels to keep our communities safe. The grant will also support operations and safety measures that will further strengthen our emergency response capabilities,” said Rep. Kelly.

For the Calumet City mayor, the donation hits close to home after a recent accident and how the department came to his rescue.

thanks Dennis

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La Grange Fire Department receives grant

Excerpts from theChicagoTribune.com:

The La Grange Fire Department is slated to receive a $122,000 grant to purchase new self-contained breathing apparatus … the village board unanimously approved moving forward with the purchase.

The funds are provided through the Department of Homeland Security, Assistance to Firefighters grant program. The grant will pay about $122,000 of the cost and the village will pay another $7,000.

The existing equipment is about 15 years old and the end of its useful life, said Fire Chief Donald J. Gay.

Gay said a committee helped put together the application for the grant, which they had not received on prior attempts.

thanks Dan

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Oak Lawn FD gets grant

The SouthtownStar has an article about the Oak Lawn Fire Department receiving a federal grant:

Firefighter/paramedics in Oak Lawn, along with patients getting CPR, should be safer thanks to a federal grant received Friday.

A $206,428 grant from the Department of Homeland Security will be used to buy four hydraulic lifts to move gurneys in and out of ambulances, and one automated CPR machine, Fire Chief George Sheets said.

Sheets said the lifts should help prevent firefighter/paramedics getting leg and back injuries while moving patients on gurneys in and out of ambulances. The lifts will be installed on the village’s three front-line ambulances and one of two backup ambulances.

The automated CPR machine will compress a patient’s chest, much like a firefighter/paramedic does with his or her hands, in efforts to get the heart beating again, Sheets said. Using the machine will free up firefighter/paramedics to conduct other tests and monitor patients en route to a hospital.

Oak Lawn Fire Deptartment Bureau Chief Gary Bettenhausen said the automated CPR machine “is more efficient and safer for the guys.”

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Homewood FD receives federal grant

This from durbin.senate.gov:

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin announced today (July 2, 2014) that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has made a $1,795,860 investment in the Homewood Fire Department in Homewood, Illinois. Today’s funding will allow 18 fire departments throughout the south suburbs to buy portable radios, which will improve interoperability among departments in the area when fire fighters respond to fires, severe weather, and other emergencies.  Homewood applied for the grant on behalf of the region’s joint dispatch center.

“We must ensure our nation’s fire fighters and first-responders are equipped with the best, most up-to-date tools to do their jobs effectively. Today’s grants will help meet that goal.”          

The funding is provided through the DHS’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program which seeks to strengthen the Nation’s overall level of preparedness and ability to respond to fire and fire related hazards. Since 2001, the AFG has provided approximately $5.25 billion in federal funding to first-responder organizations across the country to help purchase response equipment, personal protective equipment, training, and vehicles. The AFG is in the process of awarding approximately $320.9 million in competitive grants to fire departments and non-affiliated EMS organizations from Fiscal Year 2013 AFG funding.

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Area fire departments receive money from federal grants

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin announced today (July 2, 2014) that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has awarded $231,210 in grants to fire departments in the Chicagoland area. Today’s funding will support and improve the capability of each department to respond to fires and other types of emergencies. 

Under this announcement, the following fire departments will receive funding for operations and safety:

  • Streamwood Fire Department(Streamwood, Illinois): $211,410 in funding;
  • Park Forest Fire Department (Park Forest, Illinois): $19,800 in funding.

   Lake Bluff Fire Department (Lake Bluff, Illinois): $42,513 in funding

The funding is provided through the DHS’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program which seeks to strengthen the Nation’s overall level of preparedness and ability to respond to fire and fire related hazards. 

from durbin.senate.gov 

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