The Mesquite Fire Department has been awarded a 2006 Fire Act Grant in the amount of $234,500 to complete the installation of the city’s Opticom system.

The Opticom system allows emergency responders to move quickly and safely through intersections controlled by signal lights. By the end of 2008, all planned installations of the Opticom system should be complete.

Twelve of the most recent installed Opticom locations include Gross Road and Hillcrest, Gross Road and Ridgeview, Gross Road and I-635 (West side service road), Gross Road and Peachtree, Gross Road and Sybil, Gus Thomasson and Driftwood, Peachtree and Skyline, Samuell Blvd. and Big Town, Samuell Blvd. at UPS Entrance, New Market and Mathew, East Cartwright and Pioneer and East Davis and Pioneer.

The federal government will supply $187,600 of the grant as part of an 80-20 split, said Mark Noble of the Mesquite Fire Department, to support firefighters and their work as first responders. The funding can also be used for training and support operations and to purchase firefighter safety and rescue equipment. It comes through the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Grants and Training as part of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program.

“This funding will help make sure first responders at the Mesquite Fire Department have the resources necessary to keep the surrounding community safe,” Sen. John Cornyn said. “We have a responsibility to support those working on the front lines every day to protect families, homes and property.”

Sen. Cornyn has held roundtables with emergency first responders across Texas as part of his ongoing effort to support their work. The events provide communities the opportunity to express their needs and concerns directly to Sen. Cornyn. The Office of Grants and Training, a component of the DHS Preparedness Directorate, partners with state and local officials to strengthen the capabilities of first responders in addressing emergencies and catastrophic incidents. The program provides a broad array of assistance to America’s emergency responders through funding, coordinated training, exercises, equipment acquisition, and technical assistance.

Contact Chris McGathey at cmcgathey@acnpapers.com or comment on this story at www.scntx.com.