Cartwright Announces $142,192 in DHS Grants for Multiple 17th District Fire Companies

Scranton, PA – Today, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), an agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has awarded a total of $142,192 in Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) funds to fire companies throughout Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District during the month of July.

The grant funds will be used by each fire company to purchase a variety of equipment including breathing apparatuses, a fill station for breathing apparatuses, and thermal imaging cameras.  The grant funds will be distributed as follows:

• Tatamy Fire Company, Tatamy, PA ($82,667)
• Minersville Fire-Rescue, Minersville, PA  ($21,905)
• Wind Gap Fire Company, Wind Gap, PA ($37,620)

“The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program continues to be a critical resource for our community fire companies.  Day in and day out, the men and women of our fire and rescue units selflessly put their lives in harm’s way as the first responders to emergency events,” Rep. Cartwright said, a member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus.

The purpose of the AFG is to award competitive grants directly to fire departments to enhance their ability to protect the health and safety of the public, as well as that of first-responder personnel.  Since 2001, the AFG program has provided approximately $7.28 billion in grants to first-responder organizations to obtain much-needed emergency response equipment, personal protective equipment, firefighting and emergency vehicles, and training.

During the current funding cycle, the AFG program will award over $345 million to first-responder organizations that need support to improve their capability to respond to fires and emergencies of all types.

Rep. Matt Cartwright represents Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District, which includes Schuylkill County and portions of Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, and Northampton Counties.  Cartwright serves on the House Committee on Appropriations.

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