Assistance To Firefighters Grant Awards Announced To Aid America's Firefighters
Mississippi Receives $462,446 to Assist Local Fire Departments in Latest Round of Grants
Release Date: September 12, 2003
Release Number: R4-03-176
Atlanta, GA - Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response, announced 253 grants to fire departments throughout the U.S. in the fourteenth 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 nine communities in Mississippi.
"Last week I had the opportunity to visit with first responders in Montana and New York and see the tremendous impact they have on their communities whether they're fighting wildfires or educating residents about fire safety," said Under Secretary Brown. "For this reason, President Bush is committed to distributing critical homeland security resources through FEMA directly to our first responders and the communities they serve."
This fourteenth round of grants provides $18.6 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 Mississippi:
| Palmetto-Old Union Volunteer Fire Dept. | Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety | $63,486 | Tupelo |
| Murphreesboro Vol. Fire Dept. | Firefighting Vehicle | $118,170 | Scobey |
| City of Batesville, Fire Department | Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety | $64,068 | Batesville |
| Harmony-Central Volunteer Fire Dept. | Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety | $22,163 | Iuka |
| Myrtle Volunteer Fire Department | Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety | $27,000 | Myrtle |
| Barnes Volunteer Fire Department | Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety | $31,460 | Carthage |
| Kemper Springs Volunteer Fire Department | Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety | $17,209 | DeKalb |
| Leesburg Volunteer Fire Department | Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety | $25,290 | Pelahatchie |
| Clermont Harbor Volunteer Fire Department | Firefighting Vehicle | $93,600 | Clermont Harbor |
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: Friday, 12-Sep-2003 16:02:28