Hood River (OR) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is awarding $554,509 to Hood River County fire agencies. The regional grant will assist county agencies in purchasing 89 Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) with spare bottles and masks.

Hood River County's grant was the single largest in Oregon during this year's round of federal assistance to the Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. The AFG program, created by Congress in 2001 and now administered by FEMA, is a part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Through the AFG program, FEMA will pay for 90 percent of the equipment costs with the county agencies responsible for the remainder.

“It is essential that we provide our firefighters with the equipment they need to stay safe,” said Chief Leonard Damian, Hood River Fire & EMS.  The grant will be used to replace aging SCBA equipment that is over 15 years old.”