09.09.09

Durbin Announces a More Than $750,000 Homeland Security Grant to the Chicago Fire Department

[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the United States Fire Administration, part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has awarded a $779,520 grant to the Chicago Fire Department in Chicago, Illinois for fire prevention and safety.

 

“Our nation's firefighters are called upon day after day to protect America's citizens,” Durbin said. “As these brave men and women put themselves in harm’s way, we must ensure that they are equipped with the best tools possible to do their jobs well, and today’s grant will go a long way toward meeting that goal.”

 

The funding is provided through the DHS’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program which seeks to strengthen the Nation’s overall level of preparedness and ability to respond to fire and fire related hazards. Since 2001, AFG has provided a total of almost $4.3 billion to first-responder organizations to purchase response equipment, personal protective equipment, and vehicles.

 

In addition to the federal funds, each department must provide some portion of the funding on its own. The cost sharing is based on department size, with larger fire departments bearing a larger share of the program costs. Fire departments serving 20,000 residents or fewer are responsible for 5 percent of the total program costs, departments serving between 20,000 and 50,000 are responsible for 10 percent of the total program costs, and departments serving more than 50,000 residents share 20 percent of the total program costs.