City of De Kalb issued the following announcement on Aug. 17
The DeKalb Fire Department was awarded $251,008.18 in grant funds from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. The City of DeKalb’s 10% match will contribute $25,100.82 of non-federal funds toward a total project budget of $276,109.00. These funds will be used to purchase replacement SelfContained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), equipment crucial to firefighters’ defense against injury or death from exposure to products of combustion and other hazardous toxins and carcinogens.
The Fire Department’s SCBAs have required increasingly frequent and expensive service and repairs, which have become a recurring budgetary burden. According to the standards set forth by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the Fire Department’s SCBAs will soon reach the end of their operational lifespan.
Regular replacement of aging fire apparatus and equipment is a necessary but significant expense. Receipt of these award funds helps ease this financial burden on the City of DeKalb, ensures compliance with NFPA standards, and provides our firefighters with the highest quality Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) available for fire suppression and other hazardous operations.
The purpose of the AFG program is to protect the health and safety of the public and firefighter personnel against fire and fire-related hazards. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security carefully considers each grant applicant’s project(s) to determine if the application—including detailed project narrative, request details, and budget information—is consistent with the AFG program’s purpose and worthy of award.
Original source can be found here.
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