Washington, D.C.---U.S. Representative Tom Allen today announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP) has awarded a $90,000 Operations & Firefighter Safety Program grant to the Gardiner Fire Department.  Communities use ODP grants for firefighter training and equipment, personal protective gear, fire station and facility modifications and firefighter health and fitness programs.

“Maine and America’s firefighters deserve the best equipment, training and support we can provide for the risky tasks we assign them,” Representative Allen said.  “Scores of Maine communities have used these ODP grants to reduce the burden on state and local taxpayers from Congressional homeland security mandates.  I will continue to advocate for increased federal funding to make grants from this remarkably successful program available to even more communities.”

In the 106th Congress, Representative Allen cosponsored the legislation to establish this first-ever, grant program providing federal financial support to fire departments in Maine and across America.  The fire grants program was transferred from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the new Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.  ODP received more than 24,000 applications totaling over $2.664 billion for the current round of grants.

contact: Mark Sullivan, (207)774-5019