WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Donald Norcross (NJ-01) announced $503,471 in funding from the Department of Homeland Security to empower local fire departments to recruit firefighters and improve safety equipment in South Jersey.

The Bellmawr Fire Department will receive $23,809.52 to purchase life-saving equipment and the Stratford Fire Department will receive $479,662 to recruit and retain firefighters.

“Public safety remains one of my top priorities in Congress. These grants will bring federal dollars back to South Jersey and ensure that our firefighters have the funding, personnel, tools, and resources they need to keep our communities safe,” Rep. Norcross said. “I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to improve public safety and support South Jersey’s first responders.”

“The grant is awarded to upgrade and outfit our firefighters with Personal Life Safety Harnesses & Safety Systems. These systems will allow for all our firefighters to be equipped with a personal harness and escape system to deploy if trapped on an upper floor of a structure fire with no exit. These systems can also be utilized to rescue other firefighters trapped inside structure fires. The ability to receive grant funding for this project with have a direct effect on increasing our firefighter's safety on the fire ground,” Bellmawr Fire Chief Daniel DiRenzo said.

The Bellmawr Fire Department received its grant through FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG), which supports state fire departments, Emergency Medical Services organizations, and fire training academies. AFG has provided more than $7 billion in grants to first-responder organizations since 2001.

“We are grateful of this opportunity to further our department’s ability to serve the residents of Stratford through adequately staffing of our apparatus on a more consistent basis,” Stratford Fire Chief Michael Lemmerman said.

The Stratford Fire Department grant was awarded through FEMA’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program, which funds local fire departments to increase and maintain the number of trained firefighters available. SAFER enhances the local fire departments' abilities to comply with staffing, response, and operational standards.