Homeland Security Grants $17.7 Million to Boston

BOSTON, MA - The greater Boston area received $17.7 million in funds from the U.S. Department of Homeland security to help prepare for both natural and man-made disasters, Mayor Martin Walsh announced Wednesday.

The funding was granted through the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant program and will be used by the City of Boston and the Metro Boston Homeland Security Region (MBHSR), according to the announcement. 

The money will benefit all communities managed by the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM), which includes: Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Quincy, Revere, Somerville and Winthrop.

The most important use for the funds will be to improve communication between first responders in the case of an emergency or disaster, officials said.

“Be it a communication truck during an emergency or improved radio communications,” Christopher Coakley, of the Office of Emergency Management, told Patch.

In the past a portion of the funding received from Homeland Security has been used towards running Urban Shield Boston, which is the the largest first responder exercise conducted in New England, according to the announcement. 

Urban Shield is currently looking for a director to help run the event in the spring but the exercise will likely receive a portion of the funds once it is scheduled, Coakley said.

“Whether natural or man-made, emergencies can happen anytime. This funding allows us to enhance the capabilities of our first responders, ensuring they are trained and prepared for any potential emergency or disaster,” OEM Director Rene Fielding said in the announcement.