MONTGOMERY, Ala (EETV)– Governor Kay Ivey on Monday announced first responders from across the state will receive Homeland Security grants totaling $1.5 million. The grants will provide sheriffs’ offices, police departments, fire departments and other first responders the opportunity to acquire new equipment, as well as to conduct training in three categories: interoperable communications, critical infrastructure/soft target protection and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) response.
“Homeland Security is hometown security,” Governor Ivey said. “Our first responders are the first line of defense for Alabama. As such recent events as hurricanes that swept through the Southeast to the terrorist attack in New York City demonstrated, first responders must be trained and ready to respond to natural disasters and man-made events.”
Forty-three first-responder organizations of varying sizes will receive the 2017 grants. The grants include funds for such equipment as a metal detector scanner for Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, camera system for Morgan County EMA, and radios for Camden Police Department, Bullock County Sheriff’s Office and Mount Weisner Fire Department.
Secretary of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Hal Taylor said, “I want to thank Governor Ivey for her support of men and women who dedicate their own lives to protecting the lives and property of Alabama’s citizens. These grants will further enhance their capability to be ready when needed.”
ALEA administers the FEMA State Homeland Security Grant Program in Alabama. All local first-responder agencies were eligible to apply for funding. Representatives from such first-responder professional associations as the Alabama Association of Emergency Managers, Alabama Association of Chiefs of Police, Alabama Fire Chiefs Association and the Alabama Sheriffs Association reviewed and scored grant applications.
