Today, Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27) announced the Fire Department of Westfield and Stanley Hose Company will receive a total of $142,044 in Homeland Security funding in the twentieth round of Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program (AFGP) awards for fiscal year 2006. 

 

“Our dedicated volunteer firefighters sacrifice their family time and lives to be available to answer the call at any given moment,” said Congressman Higgins.  “This grant provides resources so our local first responders have the tools necessary to protect themselves and the communities they serve.”    

 

The Fire Department of Westfield has been awarded $118,845 and the Stanley Hose Company, Inc. will receive $23,199 in federal fire grant funds. 

 

Established in 1872, the Westfield Fire Department, located on Clinton Street, provides fire protection and emergency rescue services to the Village and Town of Westfield.  In addition, the fire department’s duties include responding to calls associated with the Lake Erie southern shoreline and railroad lines that cross the town.  Stanley Hose Company is located on Park Street in Sherman, New York.

 

For three consecutive years Congressman Higgins has hosted fire grant workshops where local firefighters were invited to learn first hand from a DHS Fire Grant Specialist how to put together a qualifying application.  With fiscal year 2006 grants still coming in, in the last 24 months alone fire companies in the 27th Congressional district have been awarded federal funds totaling over $4.55 million dollars.

 

The 2006 program, which Congress appropriated, and President Bush signed into law, includes $485 million in direct assistance to firefighters to improve the effectiveness of firefighting operations, firefighter health and safety programs, and to establish or expand fire prevention programs throughout the United States.  The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness (SLGCP) administers the program, in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration.
 
 For more information about the grant program please contact Congressman Higgins’ office at 852-3501.