THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2008
Grant Funds Fire Additions, Equipment
Elk Grove Village has received federal and county funds that will pay for five new firefighters and a trailer full of emergency equipment.
Mayor Craig Johnson said the federal SAFER grant is worth about a half a million dollars to the village. The grant will pay to add five new firefighters to the village bringing the number of firefighters to about 100 sworn officers.
Johnson said that after five years the village will re-evaluate fire department staffing levels. He said many retirements are expected in the fire department over the next five years.
The other grant received by the village will pay for a trailer full of emergency equipment valued at $28,957.36.
The equipment includes a 24-ft. trailer, a changeable message sign on a trailer with a vehicle hitch, 32 type 2 barricades, 50 type one barricades, 80 large traffic cones, 8 "road closed" signs and 100 empty sandbags.
The grant comes through the Cook County Urban Area Security Initiative (CCUASI) paid for with funds from the Department of Homeland Security.
The CCUASI is placing trailers around the county to have them easily accessible in the event of a regional catastrophic event.
The village awarded contracts to R.A. Adams Enterprises of McHenry for $10,933.42 for the Wells Fargo trailer, $13,473 to the American Signal Company of Atlanta, Ga. for the changeable sign and vehicle hitch and $4,550.94 to High Technologies Inc. of Villa Park for the barricades and other small items.
The village will pay for the cost of the items up front and be later reimbursed by Cook County. The village is free to use all the equipment so long as it makes the equipment available to other communities in the event of a catastrophic event.