Portage, East Chicago Receive Fire Assistance Grants

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Pete Visclosky announced today that the Portage and East Chicago fire departments will receive Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for fire operations and firefighter safety.  Only four departments in the State of Indiana received the grants.

Portage will receive $301,500, and East Chicago will get $78,649, for a total of $380,149 going to Northwest Indiana fire departments.

“Northwest Indiana’s firefighters put their lives on the line to protect their fellow citizens,” Visclosky said.  “We should do all we can to improve their safety, and I am very glad that this funding will help do that in these communities.”

Congress made funding available to FEMA for the competitive grants, and FEMA invited fire departments nationwide to apply for them at the beginning of 2001.  Visclosky notified all local fire departments and invited them to apply as well.

Portage and East Chicago were selected for the grants by firefighters from around the country who volunteered to judge department proposals.  Portage and East Chicago received the largest two awards given to Indiana fire departments.

“We’re really very happy to receive such a substantial amount,” said Portage Fire Chief Tim Sosby.  “It’ll be really helpful for us.”

Sosby says Portage’s funding will be used for a “burn trailer,” which will allow firefighters to train in an actual live-fire environment, with non-toxic, artificial smoke piped in.  It will also be made available at no charge to fire departments that have mutual-aid agreements with Portage.

“One thing we’ve been lacking is the ability to train in a live-fire scenario,” Sosby said.  “I think a lot of firefighters get injured and killed because they weren’t able to get live-fire training.  This will be a very lifelike scenario, but not life-threatening.”

East Chicago Assistant Fire Chief Nick Dvorscak said his department’s funding will be used for two purposes.  The first will be medical surveillance and firefighter conditioning, and the second will be to provide satellite training at all fire stations through the Fire and Emergency Training Network.

“The medical and physical conditioning speaks for itself,” Dvorscak said.  “Better fit firefighters mean less injuries, less downtime.”

Dvorscak also said the use of the Fire and Emergency Training Network will help keep his firefighters current on issues ranging from traditional rescue operations to dealing with terrorist attacks.

“We were able to use this program before, but it got a little cost-prohibitive,” Dvorscak said.  “It really kicks the training up a notch.”

Portage and East Chicago were among 389 fire departments nationwide that received more than $28 million in funding from this program, according to FEMA, with approximately 5,500 departments expected to benefit by the end of 2002.  More than 19,500 fire departments nationwide submitted requests for grants.  FEMA received $150 million in its regular Fiscal Year (FY) 2002 appropriation, and the supplemental appropriations bill, enacted in December, 2001, provided $210 million, to be available until the end of FY 2003.