U of I gets nearly $1M in federal grant money

Friday, July 15, 2011

Federal officials say the University of Illinois and a fire department are getting more than $1 million in grants for research and fire prevention.

The University of Illinois will get most of the money, about $999,569. It will be used for firefighter safety research and development.

The Lemont Fire Protection District will get $13,500 for fire prevention. The department covers an area of about 40 square miles and five communities.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin announced the awards.

The money comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It's part of a program offering assistance to firefighters. The goal is to strengthen the country' level of preparedness and ability to respond to fire and fire-related hazards.