FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? DOJ

APRIL 19, 2002??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 202/307-0703

 

ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHCROFT ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $6 MILLION IN TERRORISM PREPAREDNESS GRANTS

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. ? Attorney General John Ashcroft announced today that three states and three cities will receive a total of $6,113,000 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.??

Arkansas, Missouri and Vermont 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 three cities 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 cities ? Glendale, Arizona; Shreveport, Louisiana; and Spokane, Washington ? 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.

Today?s 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:? 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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OJP02097

 

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

 

Glendale, Arizona

 

City of Glendale

 

Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Program

 

$310,000

 

Shreveport, Louisiana

 

City of Shreveport

 

Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Program

 

$280,000

 

Spokane, Washington

 

City of Spokane

 

Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Program

 

$280,000

 

Arkansas

 

Department of Emergency Management

 

State Domestic Preparedness Equipment Program

 

$1,609,000

 

Missouri

 

State Emergency Management Agency

 

State Domestic Preparedness Equipment Program

 

$2,876,000

 

Vermont

 

Department of Public Safety

 

State Domestic Preparedness Equipment Program

 

$758,000

 

Total:

 

 

 

 

 

$6,113,000