Colorado received $19.8 million in new federal homeland security grant money this week. While few details were given on how it will be spent, we do know that some of the money will be used to enable police officers, firefighters, hazardous materials teams, emergency services personnel and others to communicate effectively with one another during an emergency.
Coloradans learned the importance of communications during the Columbine High School shootings when law enforcement and emergency personnel from different agencies were unable to talk to one another. It can be the difference between life and death.
Other dollars will go for training, non-communications equipment and staff.
Colorado’s allocation was part of $1.7 billion in grants doled out Wednesday by the Department of Homeland Security. The bulk of the money, $411 million, was preserved for major metropolitan areas like New York and Los Angeles. Still, we were happy to see that the Denver area, which is in the second-tier category of risk assessment, got $7.8 million, a substantial increase from last year’s $4.4 million.
Metro-area first responders are in need of training and critical equipment, such as breathing masks that can withstand a dangerous incident.
And while big cities often think they should receive more of the funding, smaller cities have important infrastructure to protect and are vulnerable to attack. Just ask Oklahoma City.
Now, it’s important the money is spent wisely.
David Holm, interim director of the state Division of Emergency Management, says his office is making every effort to minimize the appearance of pork-barrel spending. As Holm rightly points out, what one local government might consider a “need,” others might perceive as a luxury. In 2004, Estes Park got a black eye when a homeland security grant paid for a new gym and personal trainers for firefighters.
Holm said that new staff has been added to the grants division and, after the grant requests have been thoroughly reviewed by one committee and recommendations made by a second panel, an expert has been placed in charge of monitoring the selections before they go to the governor for final approval. We hope that multi-layered approach will result in prudent use of these taxpayer dollars.
