Durbin and Schneider Announce a Nearly $18,000 Investment in Libertyville First-Responder Capabilities
[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL) announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has made a $17,793 investment in the Libertyville Fire Department in Libertyville, Illinois for operations and safety. Today’s funding will help support and improve the capability of the department to respond to fires and other types of emergencies.
“As we have seen this week, 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.”
“I am delighted to see the Libertyville Fire Department receive a much needed and well deserved grant to provide additional safety training and first response resources,” Schneider said. “Our firefighters and first responders put their lives on the line every single day to keep us safe, and this grant will help us support them as they tirelessly protect us.”
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.