Today, Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10) announced $126,102 in a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant to local fire departments in the Tenth Congressional District.

The City of Newton Fire Department in Catawba County received the grant that comes in the twenty-fourth round of this year’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG).  The AFG Program aims to help firefighters and first responders throughout the country.  Local departments applied for the grants, and the program is administered by the Grant Programs Directorate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration.  

Randy Walker with Newton Fire Department indicated that the grant will be used to bring the department’s entire stock of communications equipment up to 800 megahertz, the recommended standard in emergency services. 

“The technology upgrades that will be made possible by this grant will allow the Newton Fire Department to vastly improve its communications and interoperability and will mean better coordination each time a call is run” said Congressman McHenry. 

A panel of fire experts at DHS awards AFG grants through a competitive review process.  Congressman McHenry hosts workshops for 10th District EMS and fire departments to help guide personnel through the process and give them an inside view of what the committee looks for.  The workshops are taught by Cherryville Fire Chief Jeff Cash, a nationally recognized expert in his field and former member of DHS’s AFG review committee.  Since Congressman McHenry and Chief Cash began the program, 10th District EMS and fire departments have consistently won more grants than departments in most of North Carolina’s other Congressional Districts.  

Thus far in the 2012 funding cycle, $983,970 has been awarded to 10th District departments.

Grants will continue to be announced in rounds weekly through the coming months.  

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