07.02.14

Durbin, Schneider Announce A Critical Investment In Lake Bluff First-Responder Capabilities

[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL) announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), awarded a $42,513 grant to the Lake Bluff Fire Department. This funding will support and improve the capability of Lake Bluff’s first-responders to respond to fires and other types of emergencies.

 

“We must ensure our nation’s fire fighters and first-responders are equipped with the best, most up-to-date tools to do their jobs effectively. Today’s grants will help meet that goal,” Durbin said.

    

“Firefighters, police officers and the rest of our first-responders put their lives on the line everyday for the rest of us, working tirelessly to keep our communities safe,” Schneider said. “This grant will help ensure that the dedicated men and women at the Lake Bluff Fire Department have the equipment, resources and support they need.”

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, the AFG has provided approximately $5.25 billion in federal funding to first-responder organizations across the country to help purchase response equipment, personal protective equipment, training, and vehicles. The AFG is in the process of awarding approximately $320.9 million in competitive grants to fire departments and non-affiliated EMS organizations from Fiscal Year 2013 AFG funding.