<home> -- <press releases> -- <March 13, 2003>

Department of Homeland Security Announces Opening of Grant Application Process for Firefighter Assistance Grants

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 13, 2003 – Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Bordallo is announcing the application process opened for Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. All fire departments, throughout the United States, are invited to apply. Congress appropriated $750 million for the 2003 Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, and President Bush recently signed the program into law, creating the largest single funding effort in the history of this nation's fire service. Congresswoman Bordallo said that these monies can assist our local fire department better train, prepare and equip themselves.

Effective firefighters in every community are critical to America’s homeland security. The intent of the grant program is to help the fire service to move quickly to develop and acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and equipment to respond to all emergencies, large and small.

The on-line application form is available on the web at www.usfa.fema.gov and fire departments will have until April 11, 2003 to complete and submit their applications. Once the application period is closed, a peer review process will be started in April, and run through May. The distribution of the funds to successful applicants will begin no later than July 2003.

In 2002, alone, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) distributed more than $334 million through 5,316 grants to help America’s firefighters get better prepared, trained and equipped to effectively respond to fire and other disasters including incidents involving hazardous materials. Funding for this program has doubled from FY02 and FY03.

As of March 1, FEMA became the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate (EPR) of the Department of Homeland Security. The US Fire Administration, which administers the grant program, is a component of EPR’s Preparedness Division. The Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program is one of the principal ways EPR meets its mission to help the nation prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from all emergencies – natural or man-made.

To find out more about hte Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, you may contact Casey De Shong, FEMA Region IX Congressional Liaison at 510-627-7785.

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Contact: Neil Weare in Washington, D.C., at (202) 225-1188 or Joaquin Perez in Guam at (671) 477-4272.