On Dec. 3, Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Ill., awarded grants to four fire departments within the 15th congressional district. Within these grants were several thousands of dollars were awarded to recipients of operations and safety precautions.

The grant, given to fire departments that applied nationwide twice a year, gives funding for equipment and training for "front-line" firefighters and volunteer organizations.

"Getting awarded these grants is a very competitive process," said Phil Bloomer, press secretary in Johnson's Champaign office. "The funding from these grants increases firefighter safety and makes all the latest equipment available to firefighters to do their job as safely as possible."

Among the fire departments that was awarded money were the Eastern Prairie Fire Protection District that serves regions north of Champaign, Brocton Fire Protection District of Edgar County, Ill., the Champaign Fire Department, and the Cornbelt Fire Protection District of Mahomet, Ill.

"This grant gives us an opportunity to upgrade our equipment to be more modern and safer," said John Jay, fire chief at Cornbelt Fire Protection District in Mahomet. "The current air packs we have are 15 to 20 years old."

Each fire department was awarded money based on its specification of needs within its application for the grant. The Eastern Prairie Fire Protection District was awarded $18,172, Brocton of Edgar County $65,028, Champaign Fire Department $107,738, and Cornbelt of Mahomet $183,587.

The Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, available to fire departments nationwide since 2001, is one of three programs available to fire department districts that applied. It is the only one, however, that focuses on front-line fire responders.

"This is a fairly new initiative within our nation's Homeland Security program," Bloomer said. "Many of these departments have no other means of accessing funding, so this is another avenue they can pursue."

The Champaign Fire Department, recipient of one of the largest federal grants, is anticipating great improvements within the community.

"Our job is to provide services to our community," said Dena Schumacher, public information officer at the Champaign Fire Department. "In order to do that, our people have to be assured of their own safety to get their jobs done in a great and timely fashion."

Many rural fire departments depend on this sort of funding to improve their standards, such as the Cornbelt Fire Protection District in Mahomet.

"We owe a great debt of gratitude to Representative Tim Johnson and others who supported our upgrade," Jay said. "We could not have done this without the grant."