Friday, 19 March 2010 14:45
Washington, DC — Today Congressman Tim Bishop announced that a $112,670 fire grant has been awarded to the Yaphank Fire District from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. The grant will be used to purchase turnout gear, an air bottle refilling station, and Automatic External Defibrillators (AED).
“Turnout gear protects our firefighters from the harsh environments which they face while protecting the community,” said Michael Hamilton, Treasurer, Yaphank Fire District. “Modern materials make the use of SCBA’s (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) mandatory for most, if not all, fires. This valuable piece of firefighting equipment is used during training and actual events. Presently, when a bottle is emptied, the Fire Department has to pay a commercial entity to fill our depleted bottles but by purchasing the air refilling station, we will increase our readiness by enabling our firefighters to refill the bottles immediately after each use. This will also save tax dollars by eliminating a recurring expense. The grant also provides funding for ten AED’s which will be placed on each truck and on the Chief vehicles which make these valuable pieces of life saving equipment more accessible to our community and our firefighters.”
“This funding will give our firefighters the tools they need to protect families and keep our communities safe,” Bishop said. “I am committed to ensuring the Yaphank Fire District is fully prepared to respond to emergencies and enhance public safety as firefighters are a critical part of our communities’ first responders.”
Congressman Bishop regularly hosts fire grant workshops with DHS personnel and local first responders in order to give Long Island fire departments the tools they need to write successful grant applications.
Nationally, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program will provide approximately $510 million to fire departments and emergency medical service organizations. It is a competitive process, with departments across the nation submitting several billion dollars worth of requests. More information is available at http://www.firegrantsupport.com.
