Search and rescueHattiesburg, Mississippi receives $13,000 DHS grant

Published 15 June 2011

Hattiesburg, Mississippi recently received a DHS grant for $13,789 to purchase search and rescue equipment; the grant was awarded by the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security and comes as part of a $200 million DHS grant program designed to bolster emergency management and preparedness capabilities at the state, local, and community level

Hattiesburg, Mississippi recently received a DHS grant for $13,789 to purchase search and rescue equipment.

The grant was awarded by the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security and comes as part of a $200 million DHS grant program designed to bolster emergency management and preparedness capabilities at the state, local, and community level.

In announcing the grant, J.W. Ledbetter, the director of the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security, said, “Homeland security begins with our law enforcement and first responders in our communities all over Mississippi, such as Hattiesburg.”

 

In fiscal year 2011, the Mississippi Department of Homeland Security will distribute more than $5.29 million on behalf of DHS to help local emergency responders purchase training and equipment.

Ledbetter explained that DHS has directed state homeland security agencies to use the funds to enhance local capabilities to respond to terrorist attacks that use weapons of mass destruction or dangerous biological or chemical agents.

The federal grant program is designed to implement an “All-Hazard response plan that begins at the local level so that first responders everywhere are capable of effectively handling a range of incidents including major natural disasters, weapons of mass destruction, and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive attacks.