Congressman Spencer Bachus - Local Fire Departments Awarded Needed Funding

WASHINGTON - Today the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. announced that twelve local fire departments have been awarded badly needed funding through the Assistance to Firefighters grant program.

The departments and specific amounts received are as follows:

Department	Purpose	Amount
Brent Volunteer Fire Department	Vehicle Acquisition	$156,750
Collins Chapel Fire & Rescue	Vehicle Acquisition	251,750
DAVIS LAKE FIRE DEPARTMENT, INC.	Operations and Safety	20,321
Dunnavant	Vehicle Acquisition	175,750
Enterprise Volunteer Fire & Rescue	Operations and Safety	69,844
Jemison Fire Department	Operations and Safety	94,622
Marble Valley Volunteer Fire Department	Vehicle Acquisition	197,137
Mt. Olive Fire and Rescue Service	Vehicle Acquisition	131,100
Riverside Fire and Rescue	Operations and Safety	23,750
Stewartville Volunteer Fire Department	Vehicle Acquisition	207,100
Verbena Volunteer Fire & Rescue Dept., Inc.	Operations and Safety	38,922
Warrior River Volunteer Fire Department	Vehicle Acquisition	190,950

All local fire departments were awarded these grants based on recommendations from nine major national fire service organizations. Many fire and rescue departments applied for the grants, but only the applications most closely conforming to program priorities were reviewed and scored by peer review panels.

In Fiscal Year 2006, the DHS Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program will award approximately $485 million directly to fire departments and emergency medical service (EMS) organizations to enhance their ability to protect the health and safety of the public, as well as that of first-responder personnel, with respect to fire and fire related hazards.

Congressman Bachus congratulates all twelve of these departments for their hard work in securing these grants because they will further provide their citizens with added fire and medical response capabilities.