The Dearborn Fire Department was awarded a highly competitive Federal grant that will support free cancer screening physicals to all firefighters as well as several highly advanced training courses. The grant, worth $248,440, is awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as part of their Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program.

Dearborn Fire Chief Joseph Murray stated, “As a department we seek out every opportunity to remain at the cutting edge of fire safety and emergency response. This grant ensures that our greatest resource—the men and women of Dearborn Fire—are given the resources to thrive, and that the residents of Dearborn continue to receive exceptional public service from their Fire Department.”

The Federal share of this grant is $225,854 while the City's 10 percent match equates to $22,585.

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud stated, “We couldn’t be more grateful for the service and sacrifice of our firefighters. I’m proud of the Department for investing in people first, and that our fire personnel will have additional tools to safeguard their health and well-being as they serve the Dearborn community.”

The funds awarded will be dispersed as follows:

Cancer Screening
Firefighter cancer screening physicals (Firefighters have 9% higher rates of cancer when compared with the general population (NIOSH)) for all firefighters. $39,000.

Training
Training Course: Petroleum based flammable liquid fires for all staff: $27,400
Training Course: NFPA 1521 Compliant Incident Safety Officer Course: $30,625
Training Course: Advanced Vehicle Rescue: $49,390
Training Course: Technical Rescue and Special Operations: $102,000

Funds for each of these courses pay for salaries, wages and benefits of participants as well as contractual and material costs.