WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) today announced that the Winthrop Fire Department will receive $223,407 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. The funds will be used to increase the effectiveness of fire operations and to support firefighter safety. Harkin is a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and was a cosponsor of the legislation that authorized this program.
“Communities of all sizes depend on Iowa’s firefighters to protect our families and property during an emergency,” said Harkin. “These grants will help provide the Winthrop Fire Department with the resources they need to take action and keep Iowa families safe.”
Although the AFG Program assists rural, urban, and suburban fire departments throughout the United States, it places a particular emphasis on rural fire departments. At least 55 percent of the program’s funding must go to fire departments that use volunteer firefighters. This means that smaller towns are not competing against larger cities. Additionally, the program allows smaller communities to contribute less in local funding. In today’s economy, this makes it possible for small fire departments to take advantage of the program.
