Kaptur Applauds Special $80,530 Federal Award to Toledo Fire & Rescue Department

Toledo, OH — Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-9) today announced that the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department has secured $80,530 in a competitive grant award for the acquisition of specialized fire equipment to assist and improve the Department’s response to fires and other emergencies in Toledo’s high-rise buildings and any fire incident that would require a long stretch of fire hose, including commercial ships, vehicle fires in parking garages, wild fires, and train derailments. The competitive grant was awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, in coordination with the US Fire Administration.

There are more than 100 buildings in Toledo that qualify as high-rise structures, defined as six or more stories in height.
“This is quite an achievement, especially given the level of competition for such a FEMA grant,” said Congresswoman Kaptur. “Virtually every fire department in the country applies for these funds. The Toledo fire and Rescue Department identified a public safety need and then made a convincing case that it is a wise investment to protect Toledo’s residents and businesses located in our city’s tall buildings.”
"The Toledo Fire and Rescue Department is always looking for creative ways to acquire funding to procure needed equipment," said Toledo Deputy Chief John Kaminski. "We are very appreciative of this award and the opportunity for advancing our agency with modern, updated equipment."

Competition for the ‘Assistance to Firefighter Grants’ under the category of operations and safety is fierce, involving many thousands of fire departments nationally, and the grants are commonly awarded in amounts below $100,000.
FEMA is an agency within the federal Department of Homeland Security.
Kaptur is a senior member the House Appropriations Committee, and serves on the subcommittee that funds and has oversight responsibilities for the Department of Homeland Security.

For more information:

Background on the Department of Transportation grant award: https://www.fema.gov/welcome-assistance-firefighters-grant-program

Toledo Fire and Rescue Department: https://www.toledofirerescue.com/