Chief Gribbin meets with Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) in Washington on April 16, 2015 to discuss and ask for support for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant.
Hamilton Fire District No. 3 was awarded a grant in the amount of $59,502 from the Department of Homeland Security through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program, Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) announced September 4, 2015. Fire District 3 is comprised of the Rusling Hose Fire Company and serves the Broad Street Park area of the township.
The grant will be used to develop a comprehensive Wellness and Fitness Initiative intended to increase the effectiveness of the department and cut down on preventable injuries. Included in the program will be fitness assessments and counseling, nutritional assessments, immunizations, age-appropriate fitness and strength-training activities, mental health and stress-reduction programs and related activities.
Smith met with Chief Gribbin in Washington in April of 2015 to discuss the grant. He later sent a letter to the head of the grant program endorsing the district’s grant application.
This is the fifth grant in six years to be awarded to Hamilton Fire District No. 3 and Mercer County that Congressman Smith and Chief Gribbin have worked on together, including a Regional Grant for over $2.8 million for new communications equipment.
The aim of the AFG grant program is to meet the firefighting and emergency response needs of fire departments and EMS organizations across the country. Since 2001, it has helped firefighters and other first responders to obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources needed to protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.
The funding comes through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants Operations and Safety Grant Program. It is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration. The purpose of AFG is to award grants directly to fire departments and non-affiliated Emergency Medical Services organizations (EMS) to protect both the health and safety of the public, and first-responder personnel as well. A competitive process overseen by fire service subject matter experts awards grants to applicants whose requests are aligned with the priorities of the AFG Program.
This is round 16 of the competitive FY 2014 fire grant announcements.
For more about the FY 2014 AFG Program visit fema.gov/assistance-firefighters-grant.
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