WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Jamie B. Raskin, Anthony Brown, and David Trone (all D-Md.) announced $1,178,400 in federal funding for firefighters and first responders in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties. The funding will directly bolster fire departments, State Fire Training Academies, and nonaffiliated emergency medical services organizations to enhance their response capabilities and ability to protect the health and safety of the public – as well as first-responders – and recruit and retain frontline firefighters.

“Maryland firefighters and first responders are on the front lines every single day, working tirelessly to keep Marylanders safe. This federal funding will help equip our local fire departments with the tools they need to continue doing their jobs safely, providing critical services to Marylanders, and recruiting new firefighters,” said the lawmakers.

The federal grants have been awarded as follows:

• $720,000 for the Montgomery County Volunteer Fire-Rescue Association, Inc. to support its high school cadet training program and its tuition assistance firefighter retention program 
• $458,400 for the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute at the University of Maryland College Park for the State Training Academy 

Funding is from the Department of Homeland Security's FY2021 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) awards. The programs are administered by the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration. 

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