By Dave Herndon
The News Herald
DEARBORN, Mich. — The Dearborn Fire Department has received a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant award for first responders.
According to officials the grants are “highly competitive.”
The department will use the $876,451 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) on training and new equipment.
The city of Melvindale will also benefit from the grant as the Dearborn department and theirs merged 10 years ago.
The federal funds will be used to purchase replacement air packs firefighters utilize to breathe when extinguishing fires and working in hazardous environments.
Additional funds will be used for training courses for personnel in technical rescue, health and safety, and rapid intervention training.
“We are pleased to be the recipient of this much-needed federal grant that will allow us to purchase vital equipment for the safety of our firefighters and provide training in the latest safety, rescue, and training courses,” Fire Chief Joseph Murray said. We are grateful for this grant and the help it will provide to our team and community.”
The grant was awarded on the merits of the City’s request and the new equipment will include personal protective equipment, facepieces, harnesses and backpacks, and air cylinders.
The department has received 22 million in federal and state grants since 2011.
According to information from FEMA, the AFG, established in 2001, “has helped firefighters and other first responders obtain critically needed resources necessary for protecting the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.”
As of June 2, 2023, FEMA has issued more than 2,000 AFG grants totaling more than $414,000,000 to fire departments across the country.
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