States to apply for $600 million in first responder grants

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge announced Friday that nearly $600 million is available to U.S. states and territories to assist state and local public safety and law enforcement personnel to prevent, prepare and respond to terrorism.

Application forms for grant awards are to be posted Friday at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/fundopps.htm and states will have until April 22 to complete and submit applications, the department said in a statement.

Once the application is submitted, a review will be completed and the states will be notified of the status within seven days. Approved funds will be available within the following three weeks. The funds will come from the Office for Domestic Preparedness, which transferred from the Justice Department to Homeland Security on March 1.