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Firefighting Grants Approved

June 1, 2003

Two fire departments in Georgia's Second Congressional Districts are among the first 219 grants to be awarded nationwide under the new federal Assistance to Firefighter Grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Representative Sanford Bishop announced.

The Second District Congressman said the Worth County Fire Department in Sylvester is receiving a grant of $17,550 and the Livingston Bridge Fire Department in Omega is receiving a grant of $43,012 to provide help for firefighting operations and safety, including funding for training, firefighting and protective equipment, and modifications to fire stations and facilities.

Other Georgia recipients of the new program's first grants are the Southeast Cook Volunteer Fire Department, Adel, $135,000; Oglethorpe Fire Department, Oglethorpe, $24,750; Zebulon Fire Department, Zebulon, $23,040; Clayton Fire Department, Clayton, $22,977; Woodland Volunteer Fire Department, Woodland, $92,700, and the O'Neal Volunteer Fire Department, Talbotton, $85,500.

"This is a great example of how the new homeland security agency is helping to strengthen first responders at the community level in or for the whole country to be better prepared to meet emergencies in the future," Representative Bishop said.

Under the new federal grant program, recipients share in the cost at a percentage based on the population of the community, with jurisdictions of 50,000 or fewer resident providing 10 percent of the cost and those with more than 50,000 providing 30 percent, the Congressman explained.