FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DOJ

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2002 202/307-0703

 

ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHCROFT ANNOUNCES NEARLY $4 MILLION

IN TERRORISM PREPAREDNESS GRANTS

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. ? Attorney General John Ashcroft announced today that three states and one city have been awarded a total of $3,777,000 million in grants to bolster domestic preparedness and security.? The Justice Department plans to announce awards for additional sites over the next several months.?

?Courageous local police, firefighters and EMTs were first on the scene in the horror of September 11, and many others like them will be first on the scene of any future attack.? These grant funds demonstrate the Administration?s commitment to equipping those on the domestic front lines ? our state and local emergency first responders ? to respond to terrorist attacks,? said Attorney General Ashcroft.? ?The grants are an important part of our fight against terrorism, and representative of the federal, state and local cooperation necessary to win that fight.??

Delaware, Kansas and New Hampshire will receive awards through the Office for Domestic Preparedness? State Domestic Preparedness Equipment Program.? The funds will be used to purchase specialized equipment for emergency response agencies, including law enforcement personnel, fire and emergency medical services and hazardous materials response units, who would be the first responders to terrorist acts.

All 50 states, the territories, and the District of Columbia will receive funds through this

program to purchase a wide array of equipment including personal protective equipment; chemical, biological or radiological detection equipment; chemical, biological or radiological decontamination equipment; and communications equipment.? To qualify for funding, states, territories, and the District of Columbia first had to conduct a comprehensive assessment of risk, capabilities and needs related to a potential terrorist attack, and develop a multi-year Statewide Domestic Preparedness Strategy that guides their spending of these funds.

The Attorney General also announced today that the City of Glendale, California will receive funds through the Department?s Nunn-Lugar-Domenici (NLD) Domestic Preparedness Program, which provides the nation?s 120 largest jurisdictions with a combination of training, exercises and equipment acquisition support tailored to local needs.? The city will use the funds to purchase specialized domestic preparedness training equipment for law enforcement personnel, local hazardous materials personnel, and fire services and emergency medical services personnel.

These awards represent the Administration?s continuing support of state and local emergency first responders through ODP?s State Domestic Preparedness Equipment Program and the Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Program.?

For more information on the Office of Domestic Preparedness (ODP) and other OJP programs, please see OJP's Website at:? http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/

Media calls should be directed to David Hess in OJP?s Office of Congressional and Public Affairs at 202/307-0703.

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Department of Justice

Office for Domestic Preparedness

 

Awards to Cities and States to Bolster Domestic Preparedness and Combat Terrorism

 

 

City/State

 

Awardee

 

DOJ Program

 

Award Amount

 

Delaware

 

Delaware Emergency Management Agency

 

State Domestic Preparedness Equipment Program

 

$826,000

 

Glendale, California

 

City of Glendale

 

Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Program

 

$280,000

 

 

 

Kansas

 

Kansas Highway Patrol

 

State Domestic Preparedness Equipment Program

 

$1,651,000

 

New Hampshire

 

State of New Hampshire

 

State Domestic Preparedness Equipment Program

 

$1,020,000

 

TOTAL

 

 

 

 

 

$3,777,000