Free disaster response equipment grants available
Area emergency responders have an opportunity to receive free disaster response equipment through the Federal FY ‘08 Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program (CEDAP).
Under federal guidelines, eligible applicants include law enforcement agencies, fire, and other emergency responders who demonstrate that the equipment will be used to improve their ability and capacity to respond to a major critical incident or work with other first responders.
This is a direct assistance program, not a grant program. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will provide the equipment and technical assistance directly to the selected jurisdictions.
Applications may be downloaded and submitted through the Responder Knowledge Base at http://www.rkb.us until 4 p.m. (local time) on June 30.
Questions regarding the CEDAP sample application should be referred to the Centralized Scheduling & Information Desk (CSID) at 800-368-6498. Contact is Tom Mohr at 573-526-9245.
“Public safety agencies should capitalize on this opportunity to receive state-of-the-art new equipment to enhance capabilities in responding to disasters,” Gov. Matt Blunt suggested. “Missouri has responded to 17 federally declared disasters over the past three years with the tireless dedication and compassion of our first responders.”
Last year, emergency responders applied for personal protective equipment, thermal imaging, night vision, video surveillance, chemical and biological detection, information technology and risk management tools, and interoperable communications equipment/technology.
