WASHINGTON– The City of Houston was awarded a $50,485.22 federal grant to enhance operations and safety for the Fire Department in response to the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced today. The funding was appropriated by the CARES Act, which Sen. Cornyn supported in March, and comes through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG), which aims to strengthen the nation’s overall level of preparedness and ability to respond to fire and related hazards.
“Firefighters are on the front lines of keeping our communities safe, and they deserve every resource possible at their disposal,” said Sen. Cornyn. “I applaud area leaders for their work to obtain this grant, and I’m grateful to the Trump Administration for supporting the City of Houston.”
“The City of Houston has worked hard to stop the virus from spreading, and our first responders are doing a great job serving the community,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. “I thank Sen. John Cornyn for recognizing our need for additional resources during the pandemic. I know that Fire Chief Sam Peña will ensure the grant enhances HFD’s operations to benefit the men and women of the department and ultimately all Houstonians.”
This grant will be used for personal protective equipment (PPE) and related supplies. You can read more about the FY 2020 COVID-19 Supplemental AFG program here.
Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, is a member of the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees.