The city of Aurora has received a federal grant of more than $250,000 to assist with funding the purchase of 33 new thermal imaging cameras for Aurora Fire Rescue. The award comes from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Thermal imaging cameras (TICs) are an invaluable firefighting tool to search for victims, to find the seat of the fire, and to look for hidden fires. This device saves lives by helping fire fighters remove victims sooner from hazardous conditions. Currently, Aurora Fire Rescue has 24 TICs that are encroaching their useful life cycle. The department also plans to add TICs to nine additional front line apparatus that do not have a TIC as part of their inventory.
The AFG program is a competitive, federal cost-match grant. The total amount of the award is $277,200 with $252,000 coming from the Department of Homeland Security and a $25,200 match from the city of Aurora. Aurora Fire Rescue consistently searches for alternative funding mechanisms and applies for grants to support emergency services provided in Colorado’s third largest city.