On Tuesday, January 4th, 2011 the Fire Company received official notification from the Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner's Office that two more grants have been awarded to our organization totaling $18,361.08 through the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.

Under the grant program, $22 million will be allocated for Pennsylvania fire companies and $3 million for ambulance service units. More than 2,600 volunteer organizations took advantage of the $25 million program this year.

The Westwood Fire Company was awarded $13,028.59 for our Fire Grant and $5,332.49 for our Ambulance Grant. The Fire Grant will go towards the purchase of a new All Terrain Vehicle. The Ambulance Division grant will pay for a medical transport skid unit and fire suppression system for the ATV, the installation costs of emergency equipment for this vehicle, and additional accessories.

Additionally, in conjunction with our neighbors at the Sadsburyville Fire Company and the Thorndale Fire Company, we will purchase a bulk order of fire nozzles for our apparatus.

The base award amount this year to a Fire Company was $9,500. However, additional funds were granted to Fire Companies who had Nationally Certified firefighters on their roster. For this, we received $3,528.59 in bonus funds for our training levels.

This grant program is a great asset to all Fire and Ambulance companies throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and we would like to thank State Fire Commissioner Mann and his staff for their assistance in providing this program annually to our volunteers.