The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is awarding over $41 million in grants to states, territories, tribes, unions, and non-profits to support first responders and help enhance pipeline and hazardous materials safety programs at the community level for 11 different safety programs.
This includes a more than 50% increase in funding for a grant to firefighters that will aim to double hazmat training for firefighters, the agency reported.
“These funds are focused on supporting the people and organizations that keep us safe from pipeline and hazardous material accidents,” PHMSA Deputy Administrator Tristan Brown said in a news release. “Whether it’s training firefighters on how to deal with hazardous materials emergencies or encouraging the use of calling 811 to prevent injuries from encounters with underground infrastructure, these grants are essential for equipping communities and everyday citizens with the necessary tools to protect themselves from potentially dangerous accidents.”
The awards provide over $32 million in grants to support state and local hazardous materials programs nationwide. This includes approximately:
- $21.9 million in Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness grants for states, territories, and tribes to aid in the development, implementation, and improvement of emergency plans for local and tribal communities and first-responder hazardous materials training.
- $4 million in Hazardous Materials Instructor Training grants to support the training of hazardous materials instructors and for such instructors to train hazardous materials employees.
- $2.7 million in Supplemental Public Sector Training grants to support the training of hazardous materials instructors that conduct hazardous materials training programs for first responders.
- $2.6 million in Assistance for Local Emergency Response Training grants to support the training of volunteer or remote emergency responders to respond to incidents involving hazardous materials shipments by rail.
- $1 million in Community Safety grants to support projects that enhance the capabilities of communities to respond to hazardous materials emergencies and the training of state and local enforcement personnel responsible for enforcing the safe transport of hazardous materials.
- $179,000 in Hazardous Materials State Inspection grants, including a new partnership with Vermont’s Department of Motor Vehicle Enforcement and Safety to support the costs for state-run hazardous materials shipper inspections.
To help carry out the administration’s focus on helping underserved rural and urban communities, these grants focus on preparing and training first responders who often are first on scene to hazardous materials-related emergencies. This includes a nearly 50% increase in grants from the Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness fund for Federally Recognized Indian tribes, including new recipients in Alaska, Oklahoma, California, and the Dakotas (Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes, Choctaw Nation of Indians, Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, and Standing Rock Sioux).
Additionally, the Supplemental Public Sector Training grants include nearly $2 million for a grant to the International Association of Fire Fighters that aims to increase hazmat training for firefighters by nearly 170% and for the second year in a row also provides support to the National Volunteer Fire Council to support volunteer firefighters.