FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? DOJ
APRIL 1, 2002????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 202/307-0703
ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHCROFT ANNOUNCES NEARLY
$17 MILLION IN
TERRORISM PREPAREDNESS GRANTS
WASHINGTON, D.C. ? Attorney General John
Ashcroft announced today that nine sites across the country will receive nearly
$17 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.??
Iowa, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, and
Washington 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 four 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 ? Huntsville and Mobile, Alabama;
Stockton, California; and Knoxville, Tennessee ? 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: 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.
###
OJP02091
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 |
Huntsville,
Alabama |
City
of Huntsville |
Nunn-Lugar-Domenici
Domestic Preparedness Program |
$310,000 |
Mobile,
Alabama |
City
of Mobile |
Nunn-Lugar-Domenici
Domestic Preparedness Program |
$280,000 |
Stockton,
California |
City
of Stockton |
Nunn-Lugar-Domenici
Domestic Preparedness Program |
$280,000 |
Knoxville,
Tennessee |
City
of Knoxville |
Nunn-Lugar-Domenici
Domestic Preparedness Program |
$310,000 |
Iowa |
Department of Public Defense, Emergency Management Agency |
State
Domestic Preparedness Equipment Program |
$1,748,000 |
Maryland |
Emergency
Management Agency |
State
Domestic Preparedness Equipment Program |
$2,744,000 |
Ohio |
Department
of Public Safety - Emergency Management Agency |
State
Domestic Preparedness Equipment Program |
$5,393,000 |
Tennessee |
Emergency
Management Agency |
State
Domestic Preparedness Equipment Program |
$2,877,000 |
Washington |
Washington
State Military Department |
State
Domestic Preparedness Equipment Program |
|
Total: |
|
|
$16,935,000 |