Since 2002, the

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...

has provided Port Security Grants to ports within the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, to build

fireboat A fireboat or fire-float is a specialized watercraft with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires. The first fireboats, dating to the late 18th century, were tugboats, retrofitted with firefighting equipme ...

s. These vessels are thought to help keep the entire United States safer, because, in addition to fighting local fires, they are all equipped to help counter

nuclear fallout Nuclear fallout is the residual radioactive material propelled into the upper atmosphere following a nuclear blast, so called because it "falls out" of the sky after the explosion and the shock wave has passed. It commonly refers to the radioac ...

chemical weapons A chemical weapon (CW) is a specialized munition that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm on humans. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), this can be any chemical compound intended as a ...

and

biological weapons A biological agent (also called bio-agent, biological threat agent, biological warfare agent, biological weapon, or bioweapon) is a bacterium, virus, protozoan, parasite, fungus, or toxin that can be used purposefully as a weapon in bioterrorism ...

. The grants are made under the

Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 The Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (MTSA) () is an Act of Congress enacted by the 107th United States Congress to address port and waterway security. It was signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 25, 2002. Thi ...

. The

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Ex ...

, one of the agencies under DHS, provided $100 million worth of grants in 2015. File:Peter Stehlik - FDNY Three Forty Three - 2012.05.17.jpg , The construction of

FDNY The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), is an American department of the government of New York City that provides fire protection services, technical rescue/special operations services, ...

's ''

Three Forty Three ''Three Forty Three'' is a ''Ranger 4200'' class fireboat that serves the New York City Fire Department as Marine Company 1. Designed by Robert Allan Ltd. and built to replace the 1954 '' John D. McKean,'' it was commissioned at 0900 on Septem ...

'' was partly supported by a port security grant. File:Tacoma, WA Fireboat Commencement 01.jpg , Tacoma's ''Commencement'' was refurbished through a port security grant. File:20071017 Tiburon fire boat.jpg , The ''Tiburon'', built through a port security grant, helped extinguish fires on California's islands File:Hartz-Booth, Marine Co. 1, City of Huntington, (WV) Fire Department (photo 2).jpg , The '' Hartz-Booth'' patrols rivers in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite web , url = https://www.fema.gov/fiscal-year-2015-port-security-grant-program , title = Fiscal Year 2015 Port Security Grant Program , publisher =

FEMA The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Ex ...

, year = 2015 , access-date = January 21, 2016 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160215073742/http://www.fema.gov/fiscal-year-2015-port-security-grant-program , archive-date = February 15, 2016 , url-status = live {{cite news , url = http://www.norwalkcove.com/?p=1232 , title = Meet Norwalk's New Fire Boat ! , work = Norwalk Cove , date = 2012-10-22 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160102015300/http://www.norwalkcove.com/meet-norwalks-new-fire-boat/ , archive-date = 2016-01-02 , access-date = 2014-02-01 , df = mdy-all , url-status = live , quote = The aluminum boat, which was constructed by the Almar division of North River Boats in Roseburg Oregon, was delivered to Norwalk Cove Marina yesterday. North River personnel were familiarizing Norwalk Fire staff on the complex systems today before handing over the boat. {{cite news , url = http://www.westport-news.com/news/article/Pumped-up-Fire-boat-deployed-for-firefighting-5654172.php#photo-6656574 , title = Pumped up: Fire boat deployed for firefighting drill , work =

Westport News The ''Westport News'' is an independently-owned evening newspaper published in Westport, New Zealand. It is published on weekdays, and is one of New Zealand's smallest independent newspapers. The ''Westport News'' is distributed from Karamea in ...

, date = 2014-07-29 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140730075710/http://www.westport-news.com/news/article/Pumped-up-Fire-boat-deployed-for-firefighting-5654172.php , archive-date = 2014-07-30 , access-date = 2014-10-24 , df = mdy-all , url-status = live , quote = The fire boat, which has a pumping capacity of 2,300 gallons of water per minute, "had no problem" supplying a water deed to the pumper, which can pump 1,500 gallons per minute, fire officials reported in a statement. {{cite news , url = http://patch.com/connecticut/norwalk/boat-launch , title = City Christens New Fireboat

ideo IDEO () is a design and consulting firm with offices in the U.S., England, Germany, Japan, and China. It was founded in Palo Alto, California, in 1991. The company's 700 staff uses a design thinking approach to design products, services, enviro ...

The 38-foot-long Robert L. Bedell was built in Oregon. , work = Norwalk Patch , author = Harold F. Cobin , date = 2012-11-26 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141024080404/http://patch.com/connecticut/norwalk/boat-launch , archive-date = 2014-10-24 , df = mdy-all , url-status = live , quote = Besides the abililty to fight fires, the Bedell is outfitted with sensors that can detect chemicals or radiation. The grant from FEMA requires that it participate in homeland security operations on Long Island Sound. {{cite news , author = Taylor Stuck , url = http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x1495951328/New-boat-adds-to-the-regions-emergency-response-on-river , title = New boat adds to the region's emergency response on river , work =

The Herald-Dispatch ''The Herald-Dispatch'' is a daily newspaper that serves Huntington, West Virginia, and neighboring communities in southern Ohio and eastern Kentucky. It is currently owned by HD Media Co. LLC. History ''The Herald-Dispatch'' was founded in 19 ...

, date = , access-date = 2015-08-01 , df = mdy-all {{cite book , url = https://books.google.com/books?id=IDeD1RW0zPEC , author = Edward Montgomery Graham, David Matthew Marchick , year = 2006 , title = US national security and foreign direct investment , page = 31 , volume = 978 , publisher =

Peterson Institute The Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE), known until 2006 as the Institute for International Economics (IIE), is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C. It was founded by C. Fred Bergsten in 1981 and has been led by ...

, isbn = 0-88132-391-8 , access-date = November 21, 2015 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151121142252/https://books.google.ca/books/about/US_National_Security_and_Foreign_Direct.html?id=IDeD1RW0zPEC&redir_esc=y , archive-date = November 21, 2015 , url-status = live {{cite news , url = http://norwalk.dailyvoice.com/police-fire/new-norwalk-fire-boat-increases-homeland-security , title = New Norwalk Fire Boat Increases Homeland Security , work = Norwalk Daily Voice , author = Nancy Guenther Chapman , date = 2012-10-24 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131202231635/http://norwalk.dailyvoice.com/police-fire/new-norwalk-fire-boat-increases-homeland-security , archive-date = 2013-12-02 , access-date = 2014-10-24 , df = mdy-all , url-status = live , quote = It was ordered in 2009 and fully paid for by a Port Security Grant through the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency, Norwalk Fire Department Lt. Steve Popadoulos said. It was shipped from Oregon and delivered to Cove Marina two weeks ago. {{cite news , url = http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/nathan_hale_hits_the_harbor/ , title = "Nathan Hale" hits the harbor , work =

New Haven Independent The ''New Haven Independent'' was a weekly newspaper published in New Haven, Connecticut from 1986 to 1990. Emphasizing local investigative reporting, neighborhood-based journalism and cultural affairs, the ''Independent'' attracted national atten ...

, author = Thomas MacMillan , date = 2013-06-17 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131231091954/http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/nathan_hale_hits_the_harbor/ , archive-date = 2013-12-31 , access-date = 2014-10-25 , df = mdy-all , url-status = live , quote = The city recently purchased the Metalcraft Firestorm 36 using grant money from the federal Department of Homeland Security. The vessel will be used by the fire and police departments for dousing fires on sea and on the shore, and search and rescue operations. {{cite news , url = https://www.oig.dhs.gov/assets/Mgmt/OIG_05-10_Jan05.pdf , title = Review of the Port Security Grant Program , publisher =

, date = 2005-01-10 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150906202651/https://www.oig.dhs.gov/assets/Mgmt/OIG_05-10_Jan05.pdf , archive-date = 2015-09-06 , access-date = 2015-07-29 , df = mdy-all , url-status = live {{cite news , url = http://www.columbian.com/news/2014/apr/22/new-vancouver-fireboat-be-named-discovery/ , title = New Vancouver fireboat to be named Discovery , work =

The Columbian ''The Columbian'' is a daily newspaper serving the Vancouver, Washington, and Clark County, Washington area. The paper was published for its first decade (1890–1900) as a four-page daily that was meant as a counterweight to the local Republi ...

, author = Lauren Dake , date = April 22, 2014 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140620222407/http://www.columbian.com/news/2014/apr/22/new-vancouver-fireboat-be-named-discovery/ , archive-date = June 20, 2014 , url-status = live {{cite news , url = http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/sep/21/after-sept-11-port-security-a-regional-priority/?page=all , title = After Sept. 11, port security a regional priority , work =

The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughou ...

, author = Greg Smith , date = 2014-09-21 , location =

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decade ...

, archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140922161936/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/sep/21/after-sept-11-port-security-a-regional-priority/?page=all , archive-date = 2014-09-22 , access-date = 2014-10-23 , df = mdy-all , url-status = live , quote = The money obtained through the grants has paid for equipment ranging from surveillance cameras and fences at State Pier in New London to patrol boats for police and fire departments, such as a $700,000 state-of-the-art firefighting boat at the Mystic Fire Department. Grants (money) Security United States Department of Homeland Security