| Murfreesboro Fire Dept. gains fed grant for equipment |
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Posted: Thursday, February 4, 2010 9:28 am
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Congressman Bart Gordon announced the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant program will award $77,000 to the Murfreesboro Fire Department for monitoring equipment, new radios and hazardous materials training programs.
“Every day, countless lives are saved by the courageous efforts of Tennessee’s firefighters,” Gordon said. “Programs like the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program ensure our first responders have the equipment and training to work as quickly and safely as possible.”
The Murfreesboro Fire Department will put the funds toward strengthening its response to hazardous materials. A new multi-gas monitor and photo ionization detector will make it easier for entry teams to identify, isolate and monitor chemical releases. Improved radio sets will make it easier for the department to communicate with other first responders in the county. The funds will also allow the department to purchase a new computer-based training system, which will educate personnel in current hazardous materials procedures, according to Department Coordinator Laurie Alsup.
“This grant will enhance our department’s ability to protect the health and safety of the public as well as our personnel,” Alsup stated. “We must protect the lives of those who protect our community.”
Gordon has been a strong supporter of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, which has awarded more than 1,300 grants to Tennessee first responders since 2000, totaling more than $108 million. In November, Gordon, who chairs the House Committee on Science and Technology, helped to pass the Fire Grants Reauthorization Act, which strengthens the AFG program and makes it more accessible to stations and departments suffering economic hardship.
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