August 1, 2020
By:
The DeKalb County Fire Department has been contacted by Congressman John Rose’s office notifying Chief Donny Green that the department’s 2019 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) application, in the amount of $427,360, has been awarded. The AFG Program is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The funding award will be used to purchase Self-contained Breathing Apparatuses (SCBA’s) and associated equipment to serve all 12 of the department’s stations across the county. The Federal share of this award is $407,009.52 and the local matching share, to be provided by the DeKalb County Government, is $20,350.48.
Chief Green says that the firefighting equipment to be purchased with these grant funds will have a huge impact on the department’s daily operations. “We are really fortunate to be able to get federal funding to pay for this essential and expensive equipment. Our grant application aligned perfectly with AFG’s purpose of the grant—‘to protect the health and safety of the public and firefighting personnel against fire and fire-related hazards’—and our county will soon be getting the benefit of $427,360 for a cost to our local government of only $20,350,” said Chief Green. Using a competitive process, grants are awarded to applicants whose requests best address the priorities of the AFG Program.
Congressman John Rose was in Smithville today and personally congratulated Chief Green and the DeKalb County Fire Department on their grant award. “Our firefighters at DeKalb County Fire Department put themselves on the front lines every single day to protect our community and I am proud to fight for the resources they need to safely do their jobs. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our first responders have been there to answer the call and I will continue to have their backs in Washington.”, said Congressman Rose.
The DeKalb County Fire Department wishes to express its sincere thanks to County Mayor Tim Stribling, the DeKalb County Commission, Congressman John Rose, and the Department of Homeland Security for their loyal support of the department’s application for this grant.