San Juan Bautista Volunteer Firefighters will soon be driving a
brand new fire engine thanks to a $207,000 federal grant.
San Juan Bautista Volunteer Firefighters will soon be driving a brand new fire engine thanks to a $207,000 federal grant.
The money came from the 2004 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program – the same program that awarded the department $83,000 last summer. The grant is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security which provides roughly $6 million to help fire departments across the nations.
The department applied four times before being chosen for the funding. The grant is federally funded, which means the department had to compete with more than 7,000 fire departments nationally.
San Juan Bautista City Manager Larry Cain this is a “very positive thing for the city,” however, the engine the department wants to buy costs roughly $260,000, so Cain has to gain city approval of the additional $53,000.
The department hopes to replace an engine it has used since 1983.
