SONTAG – Two area volunteer fire departments received federalgrants totaling nearly $30,000 this week in the 15th round ofannouncements for the 2004 Assistance to Firefighters GrantProgram.

Roxie VFD in Franklin County will receive the lion’s share ofthe local grant money at $20,201, while Sontag VFD in LawrenceCounty will receive $8,392. The two local departments were amongfour in the Third Congressional District awarded grants. Flowoodand Gloster rounded out the recipients.

The Sontag grant will be used to replace old equipment andpurchase some new equipment in areas where the department had beenlacking, said Lawrence County Fire Coordinator RobertPatterson.

“It helps a lot. They needed it bad,” he said.

All of the equipment funded through the grant is for the firetruck, such as hoses and nozzles, Patterson said.

“They got a grant last year or the year before for turnout gearand other individual firefighter equipment,” he said. “But theysorely needed equipment for the truck.”

In earlier rounds, Heuck’s Retreat VFD received $60,480, andMonticello Fire Department received $101,907 through the sameprogram.

Several additional rounds of announcements remain this year.Last year, Third District U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering announced 60Homeland Security Department Fire Grants from the 2003 programtotaling more than $3.1 million for the district.

Through the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Actof 2004, Congress provided $750 million for the Assistance toFirefighters Grant Program. The program assists rural, urban andsuburban fire departments to increase the effectiveness offirefighting operations, improve firefighter health and safetyprograms and to establish or expand fire prevention and safetyprograms.