DeKalb Fire gets nearly $400K grant from FEMA for training, equipment
DeKalb County firefighters will get new training and life-saving tools thanks to a large federal grant.
The department will receive a $398,225 grant through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, Rep. Lucy McBath announced last Friday. The funding will provide firefighters with tools, equipment and new training programs.
The grant comes soon after the county unveiled its newly constructed training academy, which cost $1.9 million in Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds. DeKalb recently used the same funding source to begin constructing a new fire station off Columbia Drive.
The Assistance to Firefighters Grant program awards money directly to fire departments and other government emergency response departments. This year, the program has made 1,878 awards totaling nearly $298 million.
“I’m proud and grateful to see this grant come to our district — funds that we will invest in the safety of our firefighters and first responders, support up-to-date tools to protect them every day on the job, and devote valuable resources to those who work so hard to protect our families and neighbors in the Sixth District and beyond,” McBath said in the release.
Several metro Atlanta fire departments, including Clayton County and Henry County received grant awards in 2021.
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Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives.
