GREENVILLE COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT AWARDED HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT

BOILING SPRINGS FIRE DISTRICT TO INCORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND EQUIPMENT UPGRADES

(August 23, 2005 / Greenville, SC) Officials with the Boiling Springs Fire District, Upstate South Carolina’s only ISO Class 1 department, today announced that the district received a grant of $97,452 from the 2005 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in cooperation with the Department’s United States Fire Administration.

According to Chief Gerald Luker of Greenville County’s Boiling Springs Fire District, so far this year the program awarded 2042 grants totaling more than $205 million of the available $650 million.

“These are awards that directly aid fire jurisdictions – not just here in the Upstate, but throughout the country. We are proud that the Department of Homeland Security understands the protective services provided by the Boiling Springs Fire District and appreciate the faith placed in us by the residents and businesses we serve,” Luker said.

Luker said that in the district’s proposal, Boiling Springs representatives requested the money for communications upgrades and a new breathing air compressor – both of which he anticipates purchasing in the near future.

The upgraded communications array will replace the district’s current equipment that includes a base station, signal repeater, and portable radios. The new air compressor will provide an increased capacity of breathing air for firefighter air packs.

“As the district grows and its officers and line personnel face larger scale potential fire protection and suppression situations, it is crucial that they have the best equipment we can provide,” said Cliatt Alewine who chairs Boiling Springs Fire District’s commission.

Alewine also noted that this new equipment as well as several pieces of larger equipment were purchased without millage increases.

“We recognize the importance of the Fire Act Grants to our nation’s fire departments and we will continue to work closely with the fire service community to meet their needs,” said Matt A. Mayer, Acting Executive Director of Office for Domestic Preparedness.

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program assists local fire departments to purchase firefighting equipment, fund firefighter health and safety programs, enhance emergency medical services programs, and conduct fire education and prevention programs throughout the United States.

“The Assistance to Firefighters Grants ensures that the nation’s firefighters continue to have the basic capability they require to do their jobs, improve safety and save lives” said David Paulison Administrator of Department of Homeland Security’s United States Fire Administration.

Information Regarding Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program
For more information on the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, please visit the program web site at http://www.firegrantsupport.com/, or contact the Grants Program Office at 1-866-274-0960. For more information on USFA, please visit the Website at http://www.usfa.fema.gov.

About the Boiling Springs Fire District
Established in 1968 and located on Greenville County’s Eastside, the Boiling Springs Fire District covers 15 square miles and serves over 26,000 residents. Governed by five commissioners recommended by county council and appointed by the governor, the Boiling Springs Fire District is a special purpose district responsible for addressing specific concerns and local issues among commercial and residential interests through 40 paid personnel and 20 volunteers operating out of 3 fire stations. The district’s equipment battery includes 8 fire engines, 2 aerial ladder trucks, and a rescue vehicle. The Boiling Springs Fire District is South Carolina’s only ISO Class 1 fire department with a combination of paid and volunteer fire fighters.

To make inquiries regarding this release, please contact Taft Matney by phone (864/505-8866), by fax (864/297-3871), or by e-mail (taft@taftmatney.com).

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