City of Soledad Receives $88,444 in Federal Firefighters Grant

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), announced that the City of Soledad received a grant totaling $88,444 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration. This award is made under the Fiscal Year 2016 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program.

"Firefighters and first-responders on the Central Coast work hard every day to protect our families, so we need to provide them with the best resources available," said Congressman Panetta. "I congratulate Chief John Owens and the City of Soledad on receiving this grant."

"The AFG program is a vital part of our ongoing efforts to continuously improve our equipment and facilities to meet the emergencies our firefighters and community face every day," said Chief Owens. "Obtaining this Assistance to Firefighters Grant will immediately improve the health and safety of our firefighters so the Fire Department can keep providing the citizens of Soledad with the high level of service they expect and deserve."

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an important component of the larger, coordinated effort to strengthen the Nation's overall level of preparedness and ability to respond to fire and related hazards. Since Fiscal Year (FY) 2001, the AFG Program has provided approximately $6.7 billion in grants to first-responder organizations to obtain much needed emergency response equipment, personal protective equipment, firefighting and emergency vehicles, and training.

The purpose of the AFG Program is to award grants directly to fire departments, nonaffiliated Emergency Medical Services (EMS) organizations, and state fire training academies to enhance their ability to protect the health and safety of the public, as well as that of first-responder personnel. Using a competitive process that is overseen by fire service subject matter experts, grants are awarded to applicants whose requests best address the priorities of the AFG Program.