Aurora Fire Rescue (AFR) was recently notified that the agency has been awarded the Assistance to Firefighters Grant in the amount of $135,413. As a developing and expanding community, the organization has identified the need for the training and certification of an additional 25 hazardous material (hazmat) technicians and this funding will help achieve that goal.
This competitive grant is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Factors that contributed to the agency being successful in the grant application include the high call volume, housing of the hazmat specialty team, and new procedures requiring a hazmat specialty team response to gas leaks. In fact, AFR responds to an average of 13 gas leaks each month in the city of Aurora, and because of this high response volume it is important that the department meet and eventually exceed the staffing levels required for the hazmat risks in our city.
“We are grateful to receive this funding from FEMA,” said Fire Chief Fernando Gray Sr. “This grant award supports both our short and long term strategy of improving our emergency response capabilities which ultimately, enhances member safety and service to our community members.”
This is a competitive grant and fire agencies across the country were eligible to apply. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant is a cost sharing grant and Aurora Fire Rescue will commit $13,541 toward the total funding. This grant application was successful due to a data driven and research-based risk assessment. Training will be provided to current firefighters as a result, and the members are expected to be trained and in service by July 2021.