WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-Md.) today announced the Dunkirk Volunteer Fire Department has been awarded $198,959 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program to purchase life-saving firefighting equipment.
“When the men and women of the Dunkirk Volunteer Fire Department respond to a call they deserve the peace of mind that comes with knowing they have the right equipment for the job. The Dunkirk Volunteer Fire Department can protect their community more effectively with a strong federal partner to support the equipment and training they need,” said Senator Cardin. “I am proud to fight for the federal investments that help make sure that the brave men and women safeguarding our families make it home safely to their own.”
“I know how important this funding is to Maryland communities – often it’s the difference between life and death. First responders protect our homes and communities, and the federal government has a responsibility to protect them by providing them with the tools they need to do their jobs safer and smarter,” Senator Mikulski said. “Every day when our first responders report for duty, they don’t know what they will face. That’s why I fight every year for the equipment, training, and staffing our protectors and communities deserve.”
The Dunkirk Volunteer Fire Department will use the competitive award to purchase 28 sets of new Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). These will replace units that are no longer compliant with National Fire Protection Association standards and are out of date with current technology. SCBA enable firefighters to breath in smoke-filled rooms to keep them safe in the line of duty. For more information, please contact Shawn Allen at 301-399-0918.
AFGP grants fund firefighting equipment, personal protection equipment, training, firefighting vehicles, firefighter/first responder safety projects, and staffing recruitment and retention, as well as public fire safety education.
Since 2001, Maryland fire departments and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) units have received more than $142.5 million in fire grant funding, just over $1 million of which has gone to fire departments and EMS units in Calvert County.
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