The Montana Disaster and Emergency Services awarded Lewis and Clark County close to $1 million in FEMA grant money.
The money will be used for fire mitigation work in Helena with cooperation from the Tri-County Firesafe Working Group.
This grant and other projects are part of a bigger effort to make Helena more fire safe. The focus area will be Southeast Helena where much of the at-risks areas are located.
The fire mitigation area includes about 2,700 properties and care facilities.
There are two phases to the grant award. Phase 1 focuses on community outreach and education on the project. Phase 2 is the actual ground-breaking portion.
“The ultimate, optimal goal for this thing, for this entire grant, is to mitigate hazards. So, we are going to work with the public the best way we can to find ways to create this good environment for them and their neighbors,” says Mike Chambers, the Assistant Chief of the Helena Fire Department.
The Board of County Commissioners will discuss Phase 1 of the award on February 4th.
