WW fire company gets $9,000 grant

From U.S. Department of Homeland Security

   WEST WINDSOR — The Princeton Junction Fire Company has received a $9,000 grant from the 2007 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency.
   The fire department plans to use the funds to purchase a thermal imaging camera that can be used to help locate people trapped in buildings and fires hidden in walls. The imaging camera is also good for use during outdoor searches for missing persons during nighttime hours.
   The awards are to enhance response capabilities and to help protect the health and safety of the public with regard to fire and other hazards. They enable local fire departments to purchase or receive training, conduct first responder health and safety programs, and buy equipment and response vehicles.
   Since 2004, the award program has provided nearly $3.1 billion in fire department grants and other first-responder organizations for equipment, vehicles and their fire prevention activities.
   ”The Assistance to Firefighters grants program has been instrumental in building capacity and providing needed resources for our nation’s firefighters,” said FEMA Administrator R. David Paulison in a statement. “From the purchase of equipment to first responder training, the AFG program has helped improve response capabilities and saved lives and property in communities throughout the United States.”
   The fire company sought the grant to enhance its capabilities, while reducing the potential tax burden on the township that would have resulted if the new equipment had been provided through the municipal government.
— Greg Forester