Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

A $565,000 grant awarded to the Calumet City Fire Department will pay for hiring additional firefighters, as will a grant of $537,000 to the Homewood Fire Department. The grants are part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant program.

A grant of just under $27,000 to South Chicago Heights will be used for a community risk reduction assessment that can be stored online for access by firefighters.