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Posts Tagged Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program

La Grange Fire Department receives grant

Feb 22

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | Comments off

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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Mount Prospect receives SAFER grant

Aug 21

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Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:

Now that Mount Prospect Fire Chief John Malcolm has accepted a $1.3 million grant from the Department of Homeland Security to restore staffing reduced in 2010 following the recession, he is moving ahead with hiring.

The grant will pay the salaries and benefits for six firefighters, and put the engine at Station 13 back into service. If the hires are veterans, the grant could extend an additional year for each one. Two are veterans, Malcolm said.

Reflecting on the cuts made in the wake of the recession, Trustee Paul Hoefert acknowledged they had to make hard decisions.

“To a person at that time, on the sitting board, it was said that when we could those would be the first staff positions that we would want to get back in place,” he said. And this SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant is helping us to do that.”

thanks Dan

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New engine for Villa Park (more)

Aug 20

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 3 Comments

Excerpts from MySuburbanLife.com:

It’s been a long time coming, and now the Villa Park Fire Department’s brand new fire engine is ready for duty. The engine was scheduled to begin service Aug. 14, after arriving at the department in early July. The new engine was paid for largely with a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant. The village was awarded the $432,000 grant in July 2014 … the total cost of the engine was $522,000, so the village contributed about $90,000.

The new engine replaced the village’s 26-year-old engine, which was donated to the University of Illinois’ fire academy for training purposes.

Fire Chief Ron Rakosnik said it was “long overdue,” and after undergoing training on the new engine over the past month, the firemen are very excited to put it into use.

Rakosnik said the new engine has airbags, LED lighting, air conditioning, nicer seating, more compartments and a different pumping mechanism, and it carries paramedic equipment.

This isn’t the first time the fire department has applied for the FEMA grant. They applied in 2012 and didn’t get it. Rakosnik said they reworked the wording in the application and reapplied at the end of 2013.

“We had a lot of equipment that needed to be replaced,” he said. “Now we’re on a schedule to replace our vehicles. We’re replacing our ambulances every nine years and our fire engines every 21 years.”

 

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Area fire departments receive federal funds

Apr 26

Posted by Admin in Fire Service News | 8 Comments

Fox32 Chicago reports that the Garden Homes Fire Protection District and the Blue Island Fire Department have been awarded federal funds:

CHICAGO (AP) – One Chicago-area fire department is receiving nearly $570,000 in federal money to beef up its first-responder capabilities.

The money for the Garden Homes Fire Protection District is the largest single chunk of money from $770,000 announced by U.S. officials on Wednesday.

The funding comes via a Department of Homeland Security program. Since 2001, it’s provided more than $5 billion in federal money for departments nationwide to pay for training, vehicles and other equipment.

Among others receiving some of the funds announced Wednesday is the Blue Island Fire Department. It will receive around $88,000. The Middletown Fire Protection District will get around $62,000.

Garden Homes also received FEMA money.

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Illinois fire departments receive federal grant money

Apr 7

Posted by Admin in Fire Service News | 2 Comments

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

 

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FEMA Grants for Illinois Departments

Jan 5

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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.

 

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