Today, the Christiana Fire Company was notified by the Department of Homeland Security's Grant Programs Directorate that we have been selected to receive yet another Federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant to purchase new emergency pagers. These pagers will provide our firefighters with the latest technology in notifying our personnel at the time of an emergency.

Lancaster County Wide Communications is currently undergoing a transformation of the County's radio and paging system. The new system will have the ability to provide alpha-numeric dispatches directly to the firefighter's pager; including the location and type of emergency. Much like text messaging, we will have the ability to receive the call and receive real-time updates on the status of an incident.

Once again, this important grant funding has provided our Fire Company with the opportunity to improve our services and keep both our firefighters and the public safe.

The grant was made possible by our grant writer, John Sly, and the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. The AFG Program is administered by the department's Directorate for Preparedness through its Office of Grants and Training in cooperation with the United States Fire Administration, also a division of the Preparedness Directorate.