Washington, D.C. – The town of Cokeville is set to receive federal funding to better prepare its fire department, according to U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo.

The Bear River Fire District will receive $189,000 in federal funding to purchase a firefighting vehicle. The funding comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program to help provide funding for fire operations and safety, fire prevention, emergency medical services, and firefighting vehicle acquisition.

"Disaster strikes even in small communities and the local firefighters are there for residents. This funding is there for the firefighters so they can be better prepared to help the people in their communities," said Enzi.

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant program awards one-year grants directly to local fire departments to enhance their abilities to respond to fire and fire-related hazards in their communities. For fiscal year 2003, the Department of Homeland Security is distributing $750 million nationwide in firefighter grants. This is up $360 million from fiscal year 2002.

Grantees share in the cost of the funded project at a percentage based on the population of their respective jurisdiction. Grantees that serve jurisdictions of 50,000 or fewer residents are required to provide a non-federal cost-share of 10 percent, while grantees that serve jurisdictions of over 50,000 provide a 30 percent cost-share.

A complete state-by-state listing of applications, financial information and known data from the fire service requests can be found at www.usfa.fema.gov/inside-usfa/03requests.cfm.

Fire departments with questions regarding the grant program can reach the Emergency Preparedness and Response Grant Program staff at 1-866-274-0960, or by writing to usfagrants@fema.gov.