Assistance To Firefighters Grant Awards Announced To Aid America's Firefighters 

Kentucky Receives $611,003 To Assist Local Fire Departments In Latest Round Of Grants

Release Date: September 18, 2003
Release Number: R4-03-183

Atlanta, GA -- Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response, announced 189 grants to fire departments throughout the U.S. in the fifteenth round of the 2003 Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. The grants will ultimately total approximately 7,000 awards worth $750 million in direct assistance to firefighters.

Included in the announcement were awards for eight communities in Kentucky.

"As the East coast prepares for Hurricane Isabel, Homeland Security through FEMA continues to meet its all-hazards mission by getting these critical funds directly to first responders and the communities they serve," said Under Secretary Brown. "We anticipate that America's firefighters will once again be responding to storm-related emergencies for millions of people. To support our first responders, President Bush, Secretary Ridge and I remain committed to funding their efforts to save lives and property."

This fifteenth round of grants provides $12.6 million to help local fire departments fund the purchase of firefighting equipment, fund firefighter health and safety programs, enhance emergency medical services programs, and conduct fire prevention and safety programs.

Grants have been made available to the following fire departments in Kentucky:

Greenville Volunteer Fire Department Inc. Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety $57,375 Greenville
City of Bardstown Fire Department Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety $93,260 Bardstown
Boston Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety $43,245 Boston
Gray Hawk Volunteer Fire Dept. & Rescue, Inc. Firefighting Vehicle $58,950 Gray Hawk
Nancy Volunteer Fire Department Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety $94,365 Nancy
Neon Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety $54,000 Neon
Fallsburg Volunteer Fire Department Firefighting Vehicle $180,000 Louisa
Farmers Volunteer Fire Department Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety $29,808 Farmers

The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), administers the Assistance for Firefighters Grant Program. The program assists rural, urban and suburban fire departments throughout the United States. A list of all current award recipients announced to date is posted on the USFA web site at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/grants. Future grant recipients will be listed as awards are made.

On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages Citizen Corps, the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.

Last Modified: Thursday, 18-Sep-2003 15:22:01