(Washington, DC) – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) announced today that the Cobb Island Volunteer Fire Department and EMS have been awarded a $217,715 grant from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The grant award funds will be used to replace the Department’s Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), as well as replacing a breathing air compressor system used by the Cobb Island Volunteer Fire Department and EMS.
“I congratulate the Cobb Island Volunteer Fire Department and EMS on this grant award,” said Congressman Hoyer. “These funds will be used for new protective equipment for the Department. The hardworking men and women of the Cobb Island Volunteer Fire Department and EMS put their lives on the line for their community, and I’m pleased that these funds will support the important work they do. I will continue to work to ensure our career and volunteer firefighters have the resources they need to do their jobs.”
“Without the help from the Assistance for Firefighters Grant it would not be possible for our department to replace all of our Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) and SCBA Compressor Fill Station,” said William A. Lawman Jr., Chief of the Cobb Island Volunteer Fire Department and EMS. “We will now be in a better position to provide for the safety of our firefighters as well as provide for the safety of our community.”
As co-chair of the Congressional Fire Caucus, Congressman Hoyer took a lead role in helping to establish the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program and the SAFER Program, and each year he leads a letter with Members of Congress to the Appropriations Committee to ensure adequate funding is appropriated for the program. Over $15 million has been awarded to Fifth District fire departments since the program was established. Click here for more information.
