U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) said a federal grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been awarded to Lakehurst Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, headquartered on Proving Ground Road in the historic town of Lakehurst Borough, to purchase critically-needed self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).

    "This federal grant will help protect firefighters in harm’s way,” said Smith, a long-time member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus. “People who go into burning buildings need the proper equipment to survive in that life-threatening environment. Lakehurst is an all-volunteer company and its members need this funding to safely do their jobs.”

   Smith worked with Fire Chief Ed Seaman at the fire company to support the grant, writing to the highest grant official at FEMA, Assistant Administrator Brian Kamoie, in February in strong support of the Lakehurst application, and explaining the fire company's needs. The funds will be used for the purchase of 11 sets of SCBA gear. The new equipment will replace 13 older sets that are out of compliance and unreliable. The fire company, with the support of the borough, was able to raise sufficient funds on its own for two sets. 

The award was for $76,609.

    Historically, the department has responded to the infamous Hindenburg crash of 1937, as well as Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and Hurricane Irene in 2011 when it both served borough residents and provided mutual aid to neighboring towns in Ocean County.

    The funding comes through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) Operations and Safety Grant Program. It is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration. The purpose of AFG is to award grants directly to fire departments and non-affiliated Emergency Medical Services organizations (EMS) to protect both the health and safety of the public, and first-responder personnel as well. A competitive process overseen by fire service subject matter experts awards grants to applicants whose requests are aligned with the priorities of the AFG Program. For more about the FY 2013 AFG Program please visithttp://www.fema.gov/assistance-firefighters-grant.

    This is round 7 of the competitive FY 2013 fire grant announcements.