Congressman Mike Rogers congratulates the men and women of the Mt. Weisner Volunteer Fire Department for receiving a grant in the amount of $23,810 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – funding Rogers said would help the Cherokee County fire department purchase new firefighting operations and safety equipment.  

“Cherokee County’s first responders are our first line of defense and I congratulate the men and women of the Mt. Weisner Volunteer Fire Department for receiving this grant and hope it will ultimately help increase the safety for all local citizens.”

Rogers said that the grant will be awarded under the 2016 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program an essential federal program which supports first responders across Alabama and the nation. 

According to the Homeland Security Department, which administers the grant, the purpose of the program is to award funding directly to those fire departments, nonaffiliated EMS organizations and state fire training academies that are unaffiliated with a hospital. These awards aim to enhance first responders’ ability to protect the health and safety of the public, as well as that of first-responder personnel, with respect to fire-related hazards.

Rogers, who serves on the Committee on Homeland Security in Congress, said “I’m pleased to see the federal government is continuing to make these types of investments in the Third District,”