Jackson Township Fire District No. 3 was awarded a grant in the amount of $54,273 from the Department of Homeland Security through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program, Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) announced today.  The grant will be used to replace an old oxygen cascade system used to fill self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) for firefighters responding to emergencies.

“This grant will help upgrade Jackson Fire District 3’s critical ability to provide firefighters with proper SCBA as they perform their jobs,” said Smith. “It will help them obtain equipment to keep them as safe as possible as they go into smoke-filled environments. Jackson is a large township with over 50,000 residents and this is essential for public safety. This is one of the last rounds of this funding this year and I am glad Jackson’s grant came through.”

Jackson Fire District No. 3 is headquartered on Kierych Memorial Drive in the township. The new equipment will be used to fill SCBA air cylinders. District 3 Chief Timothy Carson said the federal funding will be used to replace old equipment that only last week was again in need of repairs.

“On behalf of the entire Jackson Township Fire District 3 we would like to thank Congressman Smith and his staff for helping us receive the Assistance to Firefighters Grant,” said Carson. “We will be utilizing the funding to replace an over 20-year-old cascade system that continuously keeps breaking down and causing a financial burden on the district. As a combination Fire Department made up of 50 volunteers and 11 career firefighters, we are proud to serve our residences with the best possible service and this grant will definitely help us continue our mission.”

The aim of the AFG grant program is to meet the firefighting and emergency response needs of fire departments and EMS organizations across the country. Since 2001, it has helped firefighters and other first responders to obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources needed to protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.

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 2015 AFG Program please visit http://www.fema.gov/assistance-firefighters-grant.

This is round 13 of the competitive FY 2015 fire grant announcements.

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