The City of Salisbury, NC

Salisbury Fire Department receive Assistant to Firefighters grant for $313,896.

"I applaud the Salisbury Fire Department for securing this significant funding," Dole said. "Firefighters are there in times of need and are literally on the front lines defending our homeland. It is so important that they have adequate facilities, training and equipment to safely and effectively do their jobs."

The grant funds will be used for Operations and Firefighter Safety Programs, which include training, equipment, personal protective equipment, wellness and fitness, and modifications to fire stations and facilities.

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFGP) awards one-year grants directly to fire departments to support the nation's firefighters and the services they deliver. The Department of Homeland Security's Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP) administers the program, in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration.

Salisbury Fire Chief Bob Parnell said the grant money will be used for a trio of purposes:

n To install fire sprinklers in all three of the city's fire stations;

n To install a vehicle exhaust removal system in all the stations to ensure that diesel fumes from the fire trucks don't seep into the stations' sleeping quarters; and

n To purchase hardware and software for all the department's fire trucks.

Parnell said this marks the third consecutive year the department has received money through the Department of Homeland Security. He said officials with the department applied for the most recent grant this past spring.

The local fire department must contribute a 10 percent match in order to receive the money. Parnell said the grant process included a great deal of paperwork.

"Right now, we've got three huge notebooks filled with all the information," he said.

He admitted to a certain irony in that.

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