LoBiondo, Menendez & Booker Announce $185,651 Federal Fire Grant to Atlantic City

Press Release

U.S. Congressman Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02) along with U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-N.J.) today announced $185,561 from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program to the Atlantic City Fire Department. Since the program began in 2001, New Jersey's 2nd Congressional District fire and emergency response organizations have received more than $25 million under AFG.

"This is certainly welcome news for Atlantic City, which continues to balance the real fiscal challenges it faces with the needs of protecting residents and visitors to the resort town," said Rep. LoBiondo. "This federal funding is critical for the men and women of the A.C. Fire Department to ensure public safety and continued response to emergencies. I appreciate and applaud the team effort of Senators Booker and Menendez along with Mayor Guardian and others to assist Atlantic City during these challenging times."

"This federal funding comes at a critical time when Atlantic City is dealing with extraordinary fiscal circumstances, and will help ensure our firefighters are properly equipped with the tools they need to protect both themselves and the community they serve," said Sen. Menendez. "There is no more selfless job than that of a firefighter, and investing in them is an investment in our own safety and the safety of our families."

"Our brave first responders step up when our communities need them most, so it's our obligation to help provide them the equipment they need to do their jobs efficiently," said Sen. Booker. "As communities like Atlantic City face significant budget constraints, this federal funding couldn't come at a better time in order to help provide our first responders the resources they need to protect themselves and our families."

This is Atlantic City's sixth AFG grant for a combined total of nearly $1.4 million in operations and safety equipment upgrades. In September 2015 LoBiondo, Menendez and Booker announced a $21,517,020 federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant to retain 85 Atlantic City firefighters who were slated for layoffs. Both programs are administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program awards grants directly to fire departments and emergency services to support their efforts to protect the communities they serve. The Fiscal Year 2015 program will award approximately $306 million in competitive grants to first responder organizations across the country to obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training, and other resources required to protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.

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