Peters, Stabenow Announce Nearly $2,430,000 in Funding for Southeast Michigan Fire Departments

DETROIT, MI – U.S. Senators Gary Peters (MI) and Debbie Stabenow (MI) announced that the Village of Beverly Hills, the Northville Township Fire Department, Commerce Township, the Huron Township Fire Department and Redford Township will receive federal funding to improve operations and safety.

Beverly Hills will receive $608,163 for self-containing breathing apparatuses to provide assistance in communities across Oakland County. Commerce Township will receive $1,501,818 to upgrade critical safety equipment such as air packs that help first responder breath in dangerous environments. The Township of Redford will receive $54,454 to purchase a new self-containing breathing apparatuses refill station to help facilitate and improve their fire safety operations. The Northville Township Fire Department will receive $250,000 to acquire a new vehicle and the Huron Township Fire Department will receive $15,494 for new self-contained breathing apparatuses. This funding comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program.

“It is critical that firefighters and first responders have up-to-date equipment to continue doing their jobs safely and effectively,” said Senator Peters, Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. “These grants will ensure that fire departments and emergency responders in Southeast Michigan have the resources necessary to protect everyone in their communities.”

“Our firefighters put their lives on the line to protect our families, homes, and communities,” said Senator Stabenow. “These new resources will help keep the public safe and give our first responders the equipment they need to do their jobs more safely and effectively.”

 “This regional grant award is great news not just for our department – but for a total of five communities across Oakland County that will also benefit from it; including Berkley, Huntington Woods, Beverly Hills, Farmington and Bloomfield Hills,” said Lt. Robert Ginther, Fire Marshal, Beverly Hills Department of Public Safety. “We’ll be able to use this grant to make important and necessary upgrades to our self-contained breathing apparatus which is used by our personnel during fire suppression activities and other emergency responses. This equipment is vital to keeping our first responders safe, and we thank Senator Peters and his office for his help during this application process and Senator Stabenow for her support.”

“This grant was extremely important to us, our lives depend on breathing clean air when fighting fires. Our equipment is 14 year old and reaching a point of inefficiency,” said Commerce Township Fire Chief Jim Dundas. “The grant will allow us to update to the most modern airpacks on the market. This grant money will also help us to have compatible equipment with all of our surrounding fire department mutual aid partners. 6 Fire Departments are included in the grant, Commerce, Walled Lake, Wixom, Milford, Lyon Township and South Lyon.”

“It is great news that Northville Township Fire Department has been awarded an Assistance to Firefighters Grant,” said Northville Township Fire Chief Brent Siegel. “This funding will allow the department to purchase a new ambulance ensuring our firefighters have the resources they need to continue protecting public safety in Northville Township. Thank you Senators Peters and Stabenow for your continued support for this program and the vital funding it provides local departments.”

“It is great news that Huron Township Fire Department has been awarded an Assistance to Firefighters Grant,” said Huron Township Fire Chief James Hinojosa. “This funding will allow the department to purchase new self-contained breathing apparatuses that ensure our firefighters’ own safety as they protect people and property in Huron Township and neighboring communities. Thank you Senators Peters and Stabenow for your continued support for funding this vital program.”

“Our department will be using the grant to purchase a new self-containing breathing apparatuses refill station that will facilitate the process of filling our SCBA tanks, which are vital tools used by our first responders during emergencies,” said Redford Township Fire Department Chief Scott Demoff. “Our current system is over 20 years old and outdated compared to new technologies that are available. I would like to thank FEMA, along with Senators Peters and Stabenow in securing this funding. I would also like to thank Eng. Jason Kiekbusch for his time and effort in getting this grant for Redford Township Fire.”

More information about these grants can be found at: https://www.fema.gov/grants/preparedness/firefighters