Nearly $1.2M In Firefighting Funds Awarded In MOCO, Prince George’s
Credit: Patch, Mark Hand
MARYLAND — Nearly $1.2 million in federal funding was awarded to the Montgomery County Volunteer Fire-Rescue Association Inc. and the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute at the University of Maryland College Park, according to federal lawmakers from Maryland.
The two grants, announced by U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, and Reps. Steny Hoyer, Jamie Raskin, Anthony Brown and David Trone, included $720,000 for the Montgomery County Volunteer Fire-Rescue Association to support its high school cadet training program and its tuition assistance firefighter retention program.
The State Training Academy at the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute in Prince George’s County received a grant totaling $458,400.
“Maryland firefighters and first responders are on the front lines every single day, working tirelessly to keep Marylanders safe,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement last Thursday.
The federal funding will help equip local fire departments “with the tools they need to continue doing their jobs safely, providing critical services to Marylanders, and recruiting new firefighters,” the lawmakers said.
The funding came from the Department of Homeland Security’s fiscal year 2021 Assistance to Firefighters Grant program and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response awards. The programs are administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in partnership with the U.S. Fire Administration.
