WASHINGTON, D.C. —U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded $5,650,556 to nine fire departments in Southwest Ohio for operations and safety and hiring of firefighters through the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Program. Those awards include:

Of those funds, Gettysburg Rural Fire Department was awarded $134,714 for operations and safety.

“Ohio firefighters and first-responders work every day to protect our families,” said Brown. “We must support our first-responder organizations so that communities in Southwest Ohio have the resources to shield families and homes from fire hazards.”

The AFG Program supports fire departments across the country to ensure the safety of both first-responders and the public. The program provides funds for supplemental training, upgrades to protective equipment, facility modifications, and other supplies that protect firefighters and first-responders in moments of crisis. Grants are awarded to fire department-based and non-affiliated EMS organizations that best address the priorities of the AFG Program.

The SAFER Program supports fire departments across the country in enhancing their ability to maintain 24-hour fire department staffing and to protect their communities from fires and fire-related hazards. SAFER provides funds for hiring, recruiting and retaining frontline and volunteer firefighters to create an overall net increase in the number of trained, certified, and competent firefighting units capably responding to emergencies in their communities.

Interested fire departments can contact Brown’s grant coordinator to receive information about federal grant opportunities.