Durbin and Kelly Announce a More Than $13,000 Investment in Kankakee First-Responder Capabilities
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL) announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has made a $13,239 investment in the Kankakee Township Fire Protection District in Kankakee, Illinois for fire prevention. Today’s funding will help support and improve the capability of the department to respond to fires and other types of emergencies.
“Our nation's first-responders are called upon day after day to protect America's citizens in a variety of circumstances,” Durbin said. “As these brave men and women put themselves in harm’s way, we must ensure that they are equipped with the best tools possible to do their jobs well, and today’s grants will help meet that goal.”
“From the bombing in Boston, to the plant explosion in Texas, to the massive flooding we’ve experienced here in Illinois, recent events have underscored the vital role our first-responders play on the front lines of disasters,” Kelly said. “Now more than ever it’s important that our firefighters have the equipment and support they need to respond to emergencies. This funding will help in that effort.”
The funding is provided through the DHS’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program which seeks to strengthen the Nation’s overall level of preparedness and ability to respond to fire and fire related hazards. Since 2001, the AFG has provided approximately $5.25 billion in federal funding to first-responder organizations across the country to help purchase response equipment, personal protective equipment, training, and vehicles. In Fiscal Year 2012, the program will award approximately $337.5 million nationwide.