Van Hollen, Cardin, Cummings, Ruppersberger, Sarbanes Announce Over $207,000 for Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 -- Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, issued the following news release:

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representatives Elijah E. Cummings, Dutch Ruppersberger, and John Sarbanes (all D-Md.) announced $207,054 in federal funding for the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue.

The funding, awarded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, will be used for a firefighting training course for members of the Department. The training course will provide instruction to 375 personnel and will cover over 2,900 hours of training.

"Providing our first responders with the training they need is crucial to their ability to serve and protect our communities and this investment will help the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue achieve their life-saving mission," said the Members. "We will keep working to support our first responders and provide them with the resources they need to keep Marylanders safe."

Federal funds are awarded through the AFG program, which provides grants directly to fire departments, nonaffiliated Emergency Medical Services organizations, and state fire training academies to enhance their ability to protect the health and safety of the public, as well as that of first-responder personnel. The Members worked to secure $350 million for the AFG program for Fiscal Year 2019 and continue to work towards robust funding for the program. The Maryland delegation is announcing over $2 million in funding for first responders throughout the state from the AFG program.