Excerpts from WANDtv.com:

The Champaign Fire Department is receiving a grant worth more than $180,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help pay for technical rescue training.

Officials say the Assistance to Firefighters Grant also required a city match of $18,347, or ten percent of the $183,478 grant, which was approved by the Champaign City Council.  The grant will pay for the following courses, provided by the University of Illinois Fire Service Institute:

– Rope Rescue Operations
– Rope Rescue Technician
– Vehicle Machinery Technician
– Confined Space Rescue Operations
– Confined Space Rescue Technician

Champaign Fire Chief Gary Ludwig says, “Continued training is paramount to the safety of our first responders and those we serve in our great community.”

Tags: Assistance to Firefighters Grant, Champaign Fire Department, Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program