Belleville, Van Buren, Sumpter in group to get grant for fire depts.

U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, MI-12, has announced that member fire departments in the Washtenaw Area Mutual Aid Association will receive a grant totaling $1,363,682 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program.
The grant will be administered by Van Buren Township on behalf of the Mutual Aid Association, which also includes Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti Township, Sumpter Township, Scio Township and Belleville. It will be used to replace old self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBA) for all riding positions, and replace them with new state-of-the-art versions.
“The safety of our firefighters and first responders is a top priority,” said Dingell. “This grant will help ensure that firefighters throughout the region are equipped with the most up-to-date tools and technology to stay safe on the job while they are protecting our communities.”
“We are really appreciative of Congresswoman Dingell’s, and our local community leaders’, support for this grant which will allow us to provide local firefighters with state-of-the-art breathing equipment,” said Van Buren Township Fire Chief Dan Besson.
“Grants like this allow us to outfit our firefighters with the latest technology while providing the superior protection they depend on to perform their duties,” Chief Besson said.
“This particular regional grant will allow us to replace aging equipment in ten communities. In the past 13 years the products being burned inside a home and the tactics used to suppress those fires have changed, but in Van Buren Township’s case, our breathing protection has not.”
The AFG program awards grants directly to fire departments and EMS organizations that are unaffiliated with a hospital 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.