Grant provides for new firetruck

By Elise Franco

Since 2003, Austintown Township’s fire department has received nearly $1 million in federal grants.

AUSTINTOWN — After six years of applying for federal funding for a new firetruck, the township fire department’s hard work in grant-writing has paid off.

U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, says Austintown was awarded the second-most money in the state — $247,500 — by the federal government.

That’s second only to McComb Volunteer Fire Department in Hancock County, which was allocated $262,200 to purchase a new firetruck.

“We were very happy,” said Andy Frost III, assistant fire chief. “Truck grants are hard to get. They are very competitive.”

Nineteen Ohio fire departments have been awarded $1,440,042 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and its Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program.

Frost said the truck will be a “no frills” truck and will replace one of the older models in the fleet.

“We want a production truck,” he said. “We don’t want any gingerbread on it.”

The truck must be delivered within one year of the award, and the assistant chief said the department has already begun looking to purchase.

Fire Chief Andy Frost Jr. said it’s because of Frost III that the department was able to acquire money for a new truck.

“Credit goes to Andy,” he said. “He wrote all the grants.”

Frost III said he’s been submitting grant proposals for six years. He said in the proposals he often talks about the community’s need as well as hazards that exist in Austintown.

“The interstate where 680, 80 and 76 all come together is a hazard,” Frost III said. “The call volume for a town our size is also very high.”

He said the township has been awarded $969,874 in federal grant money since 2003.

“We want to do all the alternative funding we can because we don’t want to burden our taxpayers,” Frost III said. “If there comes a time when we need to ask taxpayers for money, we want them to be confident that we’ve exhausted all other means of funding first.”

Trustee Dave Ditzler said he is happy to see more federal money filtering into the township.

“It’s fantastic, and a lot of times we overlook things like that,” he said, referring to how the federal dollars can aid local equipment purchases. “I don’t think any department or community has been able to secure as many grants as our fire department.”

Trustee Bo Pritchard said it was the effort of the fire department that brought the money in.

“That’s really the taxpayers’ dollars coming back to them,” he said. “If you hadn’t made the effort to write the grants, someone else would be getting that money.”

Franklin Township in Columbiana County was the only other local department on the awards list of 19. The department will be getting $11,685 for operation and safety costs.

efranco@vindy.com