Today Congressman Henry Cuellar, together with officials from the Stockdale Volunteer Fire Department, announced the awarding of a federal grant in the amount of $62,976 to the Fire Department.

The grant was awarded to the Volunteer Fire Department to provide firefighters with wireless digital radio communications systems. The digital system will allow firefighters and law enforcement to communicate with each other and will expand the coverage area of the digital communication system to the entire county.

“With the surge of new development in this once-rural area, firefighters will now be able to communicate with each other  through the repeater system, a digital channel that is crucial to the effectiveness in our line of work,” said Stockdale Volunteer Fire Department Chief, Edwin Baker. “Our community has transformed from gaps of rural ranchlands to sprawling subdivisions with a tremendous growth rate. This radio system will now enable us to communicate when responding to an emergency quickly.”

Congressman Cuellar says the safety and well-being of our men and women when responding to an emergency situation is a top priority of his. “As Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response, it’s important to me that our first responders—those tasked to keep our community members safe in times of emergencies—are equipped with the latest protective gear and equipment.”

“When I learned what the Stockdale Volunteer Fire Department needed the money for, it was crucial that this grant be awarded,” said Congressman Cuellar.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program is an important component of the Administration’s larger, coordinated effort to strengthen the nation’s overall level of preparedness and ability to respond to fire and fire-related hazards.  Since 2004, AFG has provided almost $2.2 billion to first-responder organizations for the purchase of equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles and other resources needed to protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.

The grant was written by Stockdale Volunteer Fire Department Chief, Edwin Baker. The ceremonial check was presented to the Chief by Congressman Henry Cuellar at the grant announcement held at the Stockdale Fire Station on Friday, February 1, 2008.

For more information on grants, please contact the Office of Congressman Henry Cuellar at (202) 225-1640.  For information on Congressman Henry Cuellar, visit his website at www.cuellar.house.gov.

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Congressman Henry Cuellar is a member of the House Homeland Security, Small Business, and Agriculture Committees in the 110th Congress; accessibility to constituents, education, health care, economic development and national security are his priorities. Congressman Cuellar is also a Senior Whip.