Representative Annie Kuster (NH-02) today announced that Jaffrey has received a $148,000 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).  The Jaffrey Fire Department will use the funding to obtain equipment and to provide training.

The AFG program helps fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical service organizations obtain the equipment they need to do their jobs effectively, including protective gear, emergency vehicles, training, and other resources that help protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and other related hazards.

“Our brave firefighters and other emergency personnel confront danger on a daily basis in order to keep our communities safe from harm and destruction,” said Kuster.  “We must ensure fire departments across New Hampshire have the necessary resources to perform their duties safely and effectively.  I congratulate Jaffrey on this grant award and thank all those dedicated men and women who face personal risk every day in order to protect the safety of Granite State families.”

Since 2001, the AFG has provided approximately $5.6 billion in grants to first-responder organizations to obtain much-needed emergency response equipment, personal protective equipment, firefighting and emergency vehicles, and training.

“The funding made available by the 2013 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program will allow us to outfit our First Responders with much needed Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), which is a key component of their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when entering hazardous environments,” said Jaffrey Fire Chief David Chamberlain. “This award will allow our first responders to have the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) they need to be able to do their job safely and allow everyone to go home to their families after the emergency incident.  I would like to thank FEMA, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, Representative Kuster and her fellow Representatives and all others involved for supporting this program and securing the funding.”

During fiscal year 2014, the AFG will award another $340 million to first-responder organizations that need support to improve their capability to respond to fires and emergencies of all types. In April, Kuster cosigned a letter to Chairman John Carter (TX-31) and Ranking Member David Price (NC-04) of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee in support of continued funding for the SAFER and AFG firefighter grant programs.

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