Texas Border Business
EDINBURG, Texas – Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) announced grants totaling over $1 million to the cities of Edinburg and McAllen as part of two grant programs administered by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) to bolster fire department staffing and safety.
“Our firefighters and first responders are critical to ensuring public safety during natural disasters,” said Congressman Gonzalez. “This funding will allow the Edinburg and McAllen fire departments to increase their staff and deployment capabilities, leading to better response times, reduced chances of overwork and fatigue, and enhanced safety for both our firefighters and citizens alike.”
The two programs administering the grants are the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Program and the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. The goal of the SAFER program is to ensure that communities across the country have adequate levels of fire and emergency protections by increasing the number of frontline firefighters. The AFG program focuses on enhancing the safety of firefighters and first responders through the procurement of safety and training equipment.
The City of Edinburg received $1,060,068.36 through the SAFER Program while the City of McAllen received $12,042.85 through the AFG program.
