The Snohomish County Fire District No. 12 Getchell was awarded a $126,104 Assistance to Firefighters Grant, March 12, by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The grant will replace 22 worn out Self Contained Breathing Apparatus. These apparatus allow firefighters the ability to breathe fresh air in a smokey or hazardous environment.
When I found out we were a grant recipient I was yelling and running through the fire station very excited, said Travis Hotts, district fire chief. One of the firefighters thought I was the power ball lotto winner.
I get pretty excited about getting money for our communitys fire department its a great feeling of accomplishment especially when it is $126,104, added Hotts.
The grant process requires a great deal of research, preparation and the ability to articulate your needs in writing. When I completed my final draft I had a fellow firefighter, Dan Schwartz, who used to be an English teacher review my grant for accuracy. He made a handful of suggestions that I followed. When the grant was completed I had more than 50 hours invested in this process. Thats $2,522.08 an hour earned for our department completing this grant. Not a bad return on our investment, Hotts said.
The Assistance to Firefighters grant program has been instrumental in building capacity and has provided needed resources for our nations firefighters, said Under Secretary for Preparedness George Foresman.
Due to the highly competitive nature of the AFG, more than 18,000 applications, totaling close to $2.5 billion in grant requests, were received for Fiscal Year 2006. Since 2001, the AFG has provided more than $2.4 billion in grants to fire departments and first responder organizations to purchase equipment, vehicles and fire prevention activities.