Tester Secures Grant for Charlo Rural Firefighters

$300,000 To Buy New Fire Truck, Improve Safety

(U.S. Senate) – U.S. Senator Jon Tester today delivered a grant worth $300,000 for the Charlo/Moiese Rural Fire District to purchase a new fire truck.

Tester secured the grant through the Department of Homeland Security’s competitive Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program, which Tester recently reauthorized in a law coauthored by Senator John McCain.

“Firefighters put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe,” Tester said. “This grant will ensure firefighters in Charlo have the resources they need to get the job done safely and effectively and keep their community and Lake County secure.”

As Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, Tester secured an additional $10 million for AFG and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants in this year’s annual budget bill. He was the only member of Montana’s Congressional delegation to vote for the bill and fund the programs.

Tester also secured an AFG grant worth $568,637 for the Corvallis Rural Fire District.

Tester’s SAFER and AFG grants have been a major key to keeping Montana families safe. Tester recently delivered a grant to hire six additional firefighters in Belgrade, and in August he secured a grant worth $800,000 for the Helena Fire Department.