07.09.14

Durbin, Schneider Announce A Critical Investment In North Chicago 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 $175,500 grant to the North Chicago Fire Department. This funding will support and improve the capability of North Chicago’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.

    

“Our local firefighters, police officers and other first responders work tirelessly to keep our communities safe, selflessly placing themselves in harm’s way for the rest of us,” Schneider said. “This grant funding will help provide the dedicated men and women at the North Chicago Fire Department with the equipment, resources and support they need to do their job.”


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.