FEMA awards $3.2 million

Residents in the Arlington Fire Department District will be a little safer, thanks to a grant the fire department recently received from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Three Bureau County communities recently received more than $80,000 from FEMA, which awarded a total of more than $3.2 million from the Assistance to Firefighters Grants program and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant program to local fire departments and organizations in the state of Illinois.

On Jan. 16, the Arlington Fire Protection District was awarded $71,250 for vehicle acquisition. Arlington Fire Chief Dan Hunter said his department will use the money to replace a 1968 brush and grass fire truck. The department has decided on the specifications for the new vehicle, including the tank size, and is now in the process of getting bids.

Hunter said it can take up to a year for the new truck to be made, and the department must spend the money within that one-year period.

Also on Jan. 16, the Seatonville Fire Protection District was awarded $10,260 for new equipment under the operations and safety category.

On Friday, the Ohio Fire Protection District was awarded $5,921, also for new equipment under the operations and safety category.

Nationally, the fiscal year 2008 AFG awards, which began July 4, 2008, will provide about $500 million to fire departments and non-affiliated emergency medical service organizations throughout the country.

The two programs are the result of an effort by the federal government to ensure the provision of a solid foundation for local fire and emergency response services. These grants help to ensure the nation’s firefighters have the basic tools and resources necessary to safely perform their responsibilities, save lives and continue to protect residents from fire.

Bureau County awards in Fiscal Year 2007 included:

• Aug. 17, 2007 -  LaMoille Fire Department - $65,056 - Personal Protective Equipment

• Nov. 23, 2007 - Cherry Fire Protection District - $23,097 - Personal Protective Equipment

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