Montana Community Fire Departments Receive Federal Grants
WASHINGTON, DC - Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg (R), today announced three Montana fire departments have been awarded federal grants totaling more than half-a-million dollars for new fire fighting equipment and operations and safety programs as part of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFGP).
“I have taken a special interest in the needs and concerns of Montana’s volunteer and community fire departments, and I’m obviously pleased to see their dedicated men and women receive this additional support from the federal government,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.
The latest grant award announcement includes funding for the Shelby, Harrison, and Park City fire departments, and comes on top of the July release of $3.5 million in grant funding for 37 Montana fire and public safety departments.
“I came to Congress five years ago determined to help Montana’s fire services acquire grants. The first thing I did was join the Fire Caucus. A short while later, we began hosting, across the state, seminars on how to apply for these grants,” Rehberg said, explaining his work initiating and sponsoring numerous training sessions statewide, helping local public safety officials compete for and secure grants from the Assistance for Firefighters Grant Program.
The latest grant recipients include:
-Park City Rural Fire District $106,970 Operations and Safety
-City of Shelby Volunteer Fire Dept. $229,900 Vehicle Acquisition
-HPNS (Harrison) Volunteer Fire Dept. $197,132 Vehicle Acquisition
The AFGP awards one-year grants directly to fire departments to support the nation’s firefighters and the services they deliver. In FY 2005, Congress appropriated $650 million in direct assistance to firefighters to improve the effectiveness of firefighting operations, firefighter health and safety programs, and to establish or expand fire prevention programs. The Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP) administers the program, in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration.
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