I had to think about this for a while.
Supporting a small-town fire department was never the purpose for HS grants. But every conceivable government entity pressured their congressman to get in on the action, so the whole thing has turned into a joke.
As far as Lafayette being one of 28 to get a grant out of 1700... that simply means another more-deserving location didn't have enough political suck to get a check.
Finally: mutual aid from Lafayette to Denver? Ah, OK. Sure. Anything's possible, I suppose. George Bush and Nancy Pelosi might get married, too.
Sorry, I've been living at the Colorado ground zero for five years, and I'm sick to death of the games played by the politicians on both sides with our very survival at stake.