6 West Virginia Fire Departments Get Assistance To Firefighters Grants
Release Date: October 31, 2003
Release Number: R3-03-112
Philadelphia, PA -- Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response, announced 453 grants to fire departments throughout the United States in the 20th 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 of this latest round were awards for six communities in West Virginia, including grants to Fairmont, Spelter, Berkeley Springs, Princeton and Pineville.
"As we continue to distribute these critical funds for our nation's firefighters, I would like to take a moment to recognize the firefighters working so hard in California," said Brown. "The men and women of the nation's fire service are demonstrating their ongoing commitment to protecting lives and property. President Bush, Homeland Security and FEMA are just as committed to providing these firefighters with critical financial support through the AFG program."
This 20th round of grants provides over $29 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 West Virginia:
- Bunners Ridge Volunteer Fire Dept. in Fairmount, Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety, $29,659
- Grandview Volunteer Fire Dept., Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety, $66,672
- Spelter VFD, Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety, $80,190
- Berkeley Springs Volunteer Fire Co., Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety, $36,990
- Green Valley-Glenwood Volunteer Fire Dept., Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety, $171,929
- Pineville Fire Dept., Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety, $56,700
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), administers the Assistance for Firefighters Grant Program. A list of all award recipients announced to date is posted on the USFA web site at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/grants.
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, 31-Oct-2003 09:13:59