Ill. fire chief fights for larger federal radio grant

Chicago Tribune

LAKE ZURICH, Ill. — When Lake Zurich was offered a grant for $100,000 less than it needed to buy new radios, acting Fire Chief John Kelly remained determined, he said.

"A Washington, D.C., FEMA official called, asked a couple of questions and asked me to put in exactly what we wanted," Kelly recalled. "I did it and called him back, and he said OK. It just took a phone call and a couple, few sentences of an amendment. The guy understood and restored the financing."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which oversees the Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, awarded Lake Zurich a $218,850 grant to buy 43 radios that will allow the Fire Rescue Department to continue communication with area police and aid partners as they transition to a new radio system, Kelly said.

Full story: Lake Zurich fire fights for larger federal radio grant