U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin have announced a total of $589,517.12 in federal funding to communities in southern Illinois through FEMA's Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program.
Among the communities receiving support is the city of Benton, which is receiving $45,142.85.
The AFG program provides first-responder organizations access to emergency response equipment, personal protective equipment, firefighting and emergency vehicles, and training in an effort to create safer, more prepared communities.
"Firefighters risk their lives and run toward danger when others run away," Duckworth said. "We owe it to them to make sure they have the best equipment and training, and I'm proud to join Sen. Durbin in announcing this funding to help ensure our firefighters have the resources they need to keep their communities in southern Illinois safe."
"Our nation's firefighters are called upon day after day to protect our communities and deserve to be equipped with the best training and tools possible to do their jobs," Durbin said. "Sen. Duckworth and I are proud to support these federal grant programs and will continue working to support our state's firefighters and first responders."
Since fiscal year 2001, the AFG program has provided approximately $7.1 billion in grants to first-responder organizations. The program is administered by the DHS's Federal Emergency Management Agency in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration.
