FEMA grant will benefit five local fire departments

The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently announced that $36.5 million in direct assistance grants will be distributed to 194 fire departments nationwide, through the agency’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, according to a statement.

The funding includes a regional grant for fire departmetns in Winsted, Winchester and Norfolk totaling $680,762 for portable and mobile radios and radio base stations, according to a statement from FEMA.

Since 2001, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) has helped firefighters and other first responders obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources necessary for protecting the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards, according to the statement.

The grant is supported by FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. Eligible applicants include local fire departments, fire districts, nonaffiliated EMS organizations, tribal fire departments and State Fire Training Academies, according to the statement.

The grant applications are submitted from each agency directly to FEMA, where the applications are reviewed and scored by fire service personnel from throughout the nation.

“FEMA obligates funding for this project directly to the recipient agencies. It is the recipient agency’s responsibility to manage their grant award within federal guidelines with technical assistance and monitoring provided by FEMA Fire Program Specialists,” according to the statement.

Additional information about FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters grant program(s) may be found at https://www.fema.gov/ firegrants