Tester Secures Grant for New Deer Lodge Fire Truck

$296,214 to ‘protect our community and surrounding area for the next 30 years'

(U.S. Senate) – The Deer Lodge Volunteer Fire Department says it will be getting a new fire truck, thanks to a grant secured by U.S. Senator Jon Tester.

The grant, worth nearly $300,000, will purchase the truck for the department. 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 the late Senator John McCain.

“This is going to help protect our community and surrounding area for the next 30 years,” said Deer Lodge Fire Chief Andy Scharf. “We can’t thank Senator Tester enough for his support.”

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 and was the only member of Montana’s Congressional delegation who voted to fund these programs.

“Keeping Montanans safe is one of my top priorities,” Tester said. “This grant will give firefighters in Deer Lodge the resources they need to respond effectively to emergencies and better serve their community and Powell County.”

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.