Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) announced today that the Robbinsville Township Fire Department has been awarded a federal grant in the amount of $18,477 through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program.

“This grant will be used to purchase critical smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors which the department will hand out going door-to-door to residents who need them, free of charge,” Rep. Smith stated. “This initiative will help distribute early detection devices that can save lives. I commend Mayor Fried and Chief Schaffener for their proactive application for this grant, and for continuing to apply for these life-saving grants each year.”

The FY 2017 AFG Program grant awarded to Robbinsville is for Fire Prevention; the program is administered by the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the grants are awarded on a competitive basis.

Recent AFG grants to Robbinsville include a $22,740 grant in 2017, to assist the department’s purchase of defibrillators and a CPR device to replace older equipment. In 2016, the department also won a $13,393 federal grant for a cost-saving health and wellness program to support healthier, more physically fit firefighting forces. The department was awarded a $111,585 grant in 2015 to replace 16 sets of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA’s), used by firefighters for an adequate air supply in dangerous conditions. 

A long-time member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, Smith voted for the law that created the AFG grant program in 2000.

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.