Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) announced today that Hamilton Fire District No. 7, located at the Nottingham Fire Company on Mercer Street, has been awarded a Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) for $100,386 to foster physical conditioning for firefighters whose job requires strength and endurance in extreme environments.

  “Firefighters’ work is physically demanding, and FEMA offers these grants to help keep firefighters in good shape, which not only benefits the firefighters, but all residents whom they serve,” said Smith, a long-time member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus. “Fire District 7 has been at the forefront of taking proactive steps to keep its members healthy. This health and fitness initiative is intended to result in a healthier, more physically fit firefighting workforce, and in cost-savings to the township because it can reduce sick time, workers’ comp claims and disability.”

  The funding is for a fitness program and equipment for firefighters, including replacement and repairs of existing training equipment, classes and physicals, said Fire Chief Thomas T. Gribbin, who worked on the grant for District 7.

  "We would like to thank Congressman Smith for his strong support for the grant and of the health of firefighters,” said Gribbin. “We have been successfully awarded a number of grants that in large part are due to the assistance that we have received by Chris Smith. For us it’s all about making sure firefighters are in healthy shape and can carry someone out of a fire.”

  The award comes through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants Operations and Safety Grant Program. It is administered by 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 2015 AFG Program visit http://www.fema.gov/assistance-firefighters-grant.

  This is round 12—expected to be among the last rounds to be awarded this year—of the competitive FY 2015 fire grant announcements. Smith voted to create the grant program in 2000. Congress created the program to upgrade capabilities of local firefighters to respond to fires and fire-related hazards, such as vehicular accidents.

  Congressman Smith, who represents New Jersey’s Fourth Congressional District in the House of Representatives, has offices in Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean Counties. The Mercer County office is located at 4573 South Broad Street in Hamilton. The phone number is (609) 585-7878.

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