Published: August 20, 2008 11:29 pm            

Lawmaker urges fire agencies to file for grants

Frankfort — Sen. Walter Blevins, D-West Liberty, on Tuesday sent letters to fire departments encouraging them to apply for smoke alarm project grants offered by the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center.

“I encourage local fire departments to take advantage of this revenue source to purchase more efficient smoke alarms,” Blevins said. “This money will afford our community the opportunity to obtain more advanced technology for homeowners that may save lives.”

Blevins said the grants, funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will provide 10-year lithium battery-powered smoke alarms and fire safety education materials to fire departments and other local public service organizations. Some funding is also provided to help offset the cost of conducting a local smoke alarm installation project.

Fire departments receiving grants will be responsible for installing the smoke alarms in homes in their communities, for providing fire safety education to the residents of homes where alarms are installed and to other people in the community, and for keeping records that will help evaluate the overall statewide project.

Local projects should focus on low-income households and households with elderly residents and/or young children, but other households are also eligible.

Application packets are available on the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Centers Web site at www.kiprc.uky.edu/fire/. To be eligible for consideration, applications must be submitted to the KIPR Center by 6:30 p.m. Sept. 1.

The project period for this round of grants is Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, 2009. KIPRC is expected to contact departments that are selected to receive grants by Oct.1.

This will allow departments that have received project awards to announce their projects and start activities during Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 5 through 11.

Blevins represents the 27th district, which includes Boyd, Elliott, Fleming, Lawrence and Rowan counties.

        

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