WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mark Pryor and John Boozman today announced that the Texarkana Fire Department will receive a $168,480 grant from the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program to purchase safety equipment and provide training for local firefighters.

“As a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, I’ve fought to ensure that our local communities have the resources they need to protect lives and property,” Pryor said. “Thanks to this grant, the Texarkana Fire Department will be able to improve operations and keep our firefighters and families safe.”

“This funding will provide Texarkana firefighters with the resources and training necessary to help keep families safe and protect the community,” Boozman said. “I will continue to support investments like this that deliver the tools and knowledge our first responders need to meet to the needs of Arkansans.”

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is an important component of the larger, coordinated effort to strengthen the nation’s overall level of preparedness and ability to respond to fire and related hazards.

AFG provides fire departments and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) organizations the tools and resources necessary to protect the health and safety of the public and emergency response personnel. In Fiscal Year 2012, DHS AFG Program awarded approximately $337 million directly to local fire departments and EMS organizations to enhance their response capabilities and to more effectively protect the health and safety of the public and emergency response personnel with respect to fire and all other hazards.