Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today announced that the Howard County Department of Fire Rescue Service and the City of Annapolis Fire Department will receive a total of more than $100,000 in grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to improve fire prevention and safety efforts in Maryland communities.

The grant funding comes from FEMA's Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) Program, which helps city and county fire departments educate local residents about fire prevention and hazard mitigation in an effort to reduce fire-related deaths and injuries.

"Expanding access to life-saving information about fire safety will go a long way toward making our homes and our neighborhoods safer," said Congressman Sarbanes. "This important federal investment in Howard County and Annapolis will help our first responders better serve and protect local communities."

FEMA's FP&S program will provide the Howard County Department of Fire Rescue Services with more than $96,000 in grant funding and the City of Annapolis Fire Department with more than $19,000 in grant funding.