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July 8th, 2004 Persistence pays off The Sherwood Fire Department will receive $42,750 as part of a Firefighter Investment and Response Enhancement Act (FIRE) grant. . "This is good news for the residents of Sherwood and the Sherwood Fire Department," said U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, who authored the FIRE bill. "I am pleased to see this money be made available for continued fire protection and service in Defiance County," said U.S. Sen. George Voinovich. "I've encouraged the Department of Homeland Security to do more to support first responders on the local level, and I'm glad to see it happening." Sherwood Fire Chief Steve Fitzwater said his department was happy about the grant, which will be used to purchase breathing apparatus for the department. “This is the fourth year applying for it and the first year we've gotten it,” he said. Fitzwater said the department is hoping to purchase 10 breathing apparatus units with the funds. The department is currently seeking bids for the equipment. The new pieces of breathing apparatus, Fitzwater said, “will replace everything we have that is pre1980s.” The grant, which is administered through the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, are presented to fire departments to increase the effectiveness of firefighting operations, acquire new equipment, fund health and safety programs and more. Fitzwater said that, according to specifications of the grant, the money must be spent before a year's time. Fitzwater said he is hoping to get the breathing apparatus before the end of the year. "It all depends on the bids and whom we purchase with," he said of the timeframe for receiving the equipment. Among the information the Sherwood Fire Department had to submit for the grant application were the demographics of the department, the geographic area it covered and a narrative explaining why the money was needed by the department and what it would be used for if granted. . According to DeWine's Office, more than 20,400 fire Departments applied for the grant, and FEMA will award more than 8,000 grants. |
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