Blaise Ingoglia distributes $1.4M in grants to Gulf Coast emergency workers

Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia distributed more than $1.4 million to Gulf Coast fire departments on Thursday as part of his ongoing efforts to bolster first responder care in Florida.

Ingoglia designated five agencies for the grants he presented checks to at a ceremony in Bradenton. The money came from the Firefighter Cancer Decontamination Fund, the Firefighter Assistance Grant Program and other state funding.

“As State Fire Marshal, it is a privilege to support Florida’s firefighters who continually run towards danger to protect their communities. It is imperative that firefighters have all the tools and equipment they need to respond quickly and effectively to emergency situations, and the tools to protect themselves after a fire from the cancer-causing chemicals they may have come in contact with,” Ingoglia said. “This funding is a step forward in ongoing efforts to protect firefighters and the communities they serve.”

The agencies that received the grants on Thursday include:

— East Manatee Fire Rescue District, $12,248.25

— Town of Longboat Key, $7,976.29.

— Parrish Fire District, $20,672.20

— DeSoto County fire training tower, $1 million.

— Hardee County brush fire trucks, $400,000.

It was the latest round of funding contributions Ingoglia has distributed to dozens of fire departments in the past year. Ingoglia said he’s distributed about $28 million in funds to various first responder outfits at similar ceremonies throughout the state over the past year.

Much of his focus has centered on increasing awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder among first responders and lowering suicide rates among those emergency workers.

“This is not just about giving out checks. We do this for a reason to create awareness on some of the issues that are plaguing our first responder communities,” Ingoglia said. “A lot of our times, our first responders are going through silent battles…. Unfortunately, there are some people who want to put their heads in the ground.”

Desoto County Fire Chief Chad Jergensen said the largest check presented to his department on Thursday is essentially going to a facility that will provide more safety for first responders on the front end of emergency response with the new training facility.

“By establishing a new fire training tower, we can better prepare our firefighters to put out fires quicker, limit property damage, and save lives. I am grateful to CFO Ingoglia for awarding this funding to our department,” Jergensen said.