The San Juan Bautista Fire Department received a $83,706 grant
from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency
Management Agency.
”
This award will allow our department to bring our personal
protective equipment up to the highest and most current level for
the maximum protection we can provide to our volunteers,
”
said San Juan Bautista Fire Chief Rick Cokley.
The San Juan Bautista Fire Department received a $83,706 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“This award will allow our department to bring our personal protective equipment up to the highest and most current level for the maximum protection we can provide to our volunteers,” said San Juan Bautista Fire Chief Rick Cokley.
The award, part of $750 million being distributed from the 2003 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, will be distributed to over 7,000 fire departments around the country. Locally, it will be used to update several aspects of the San Juan Bautista Fire Department’s program, according to a fire department-issued written statement.
It will enable the department to purchase new radios, provide new breathing apparatus that meet the current National Fire Protection Association standards and will supply the department will a Thermal Imaging Camera, which gives firefighters the ability to find trapped victims in extreme smoke conditions.
“In this nation, far too many individuals lose their lives or are injured by fire,” said U.S. Fire Administrator R. David Paulison. “The nation’s firefighters and American homes are safer today through this important grant program.”
It will also allow San Juan Bautista to distribute funds to two other areas of concern, Cokley said.
“Receiving this award will allow the city to purchase a new fire engine and add paid daytime staffing,” he said.
This grant program is administered by the U.S. Fire Administration and assists rural, urban and suburban fire departments throughout the United States, according to the statement. It increases the effectiveness of firefighting operations, firefighter health and safety programs, and fire prevention and safety programs in local departments.
“Firefighters play a key role in safeguarding America,” said Michael D. Brown, under secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response. “These fire grant funds provide first responders with the resources necessary to protect our communities from all hazards.”
