Jax gets $295,650 port security grant from Homeland Security

Jacksonville is set to receive a $295,650 grant for port security from the Department of Homeland Security, enhancing hazardous materials response.

Tia Ford, spokesperson for Mayor Lenny Curry, said the money has been awarded to  the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, and will fund the Maritime CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives) Response System.

So what will the city get for $295,650?

Two rigid inflatable boats up to 16-feet that allow “direct monitoring in shallow and rough river/ocean conditions and two up to 19-foot, flat-bottom boats used for shallow water conditions and boom deployment.”

This will have a regional impact, providing Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia with “the only hazardous materials monitoring and detection-equipped watercraft capable of supporting operations in the port, in the river, and in the open ocean,” Ford wrote.

Speed and efficiency of response capability will be enhanced with this grant, which will “provide platforms for security and law enforcement activities and can be tasked during threats to bridges, special events, and port security for CRBNE and non-CBRNE actions,” Ford added.