WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded $1,443,744 to three fire departments in Southeast Ohio for operations and safety, recruitment and retention, and hiring of firefighters through the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Program. Those awards include:

  • $335,500 to Old Washington Community Volunteer Fire Department for recruitment and retention of firefighters,
  • $71,504 to Frazeysburg Volunteer Fire Department for operations and safety and,
  • $1,036,740 to Portsmouth Fire Department for hiring of firefighters

“Ohio firefighters and first-responders work every day to protect our families,” said Brown. “We must support our first-responder organizations so that communities in Southeast Ohio have the resources to shield families and homes from fire hazards.”

The AFG Program supports fire departments across the country to ensure the safety of both first-responders and the public. The program provides funds for supplemental training, upgrades to protective equipment, facility modifications, and other supplies that protect firefighters and first-responders in moments of crisis. Grants are awarded to fire department-based and non-affiliated EMS organizations that best address the priorities of the AFG Program. More information about the AFG Program can be found here.

The SAFER Program supports fire departments across the country in enhancing their ability to maintain 24-hour fire department staffing and to protect their communities from fires and fire-related hazards. SAFER provides funds for hiring, recruiting and retaining frontline and volunteer firefighters to create an overall net increase in the number of trained, certified, and competent firefighting units capably responding to emergencies in their communities. More information about the SAFER Program can be found here.

Interested fire departments can contact Brown’s grant coordinator to receive information about federal grant opportunities by clicking here.

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