SEVERAL SOUTH SUBURBAN FIRE DEPARTMENTS RECEIVE FEDERAL GRANTS TO SUPPORT HIRING

Congresswoman Robin Kelly recently announced that the Homewood, Calumet City, and South Chicago Heights Fire Department would all be receiving federal grants through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program.
Congresswoman Robin Kelly recently announced that the Homewood, Calumet City, and South Chicago Heights Fire Department would all be receiving federal grants through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program.

Several South Suburban Fire Departments Receive Federal Grants To Support Hiring

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

Congresswoman Robin Kelly recently announced that several south suburban fire departments would be receiving major federal grants through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. Included in the recently announced grant recipients are the Homewood, Calumet City, and South Chicago Heights Fire Departments.

“These federal funds help fill the budget gaps that so many of our local municipalities experience on a regular basis,” said Congresswoman Kelly in a press release. “Every cent of the $3.2 million will go directly toward the protection of our citizens, our communities and the health of our brave firefighters.”

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant program is administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and was created to support fire departments across the country and to increase the nation’s ability to respond to fires and other related hazards, according to information provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

During 2018, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program distributed $315 million in grants to fire departments, state fire training academies, and non-affiliated EMS organizations to help them update their emergency response equipment, their personal protective equipment, their emergency vehicles, and support their ongoing training programs, according to information provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Thanks to the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, the Homewood Fire Department received a $537,517 grant that will be used to hire three additional career firefighters, the Calumet City Fire Department received $565,419 grant that will also fund the hiring of new officers, and the South Chicago Heights Fire Department will be receiving $26,666 to support a community risk reduction assessment accessed by first responders throughout the community, according to information provided by the Office of Congresswoman Robin Kelly.

Other south suburban fire departments who have benefited from Assistance to the Firefighters Grant program include those in Chicago Heights, Steger, Flossmoor, South Holland, Phoenix, Glenwood, Hazel Crest, Park Forest, Matteson, Riverdale, Thornton, and the Crete Township Fire Protection District, according to information provided by the Office of Congresswoman Robin Kelly.

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