In a tight fiscal year, Cincinnati's fire chief has asked a congressman for help getting federal money to beef up his department's ability to respond to terrorism.

        It's the only way Chief Robert Wright sees to get the kind of help he needs.

        He has been told he'll have to cut at least 5 percent from his $52 million annual budget, but he says he needs more money than ever to make sure the division is prepared for the threat of terrorism.

        Chief Wright and other officials talked Monday with U.S. Rep. Rob Portman, R-Terrace Park, and asked him to help them find more new money to cover mounting anti-terrorism costs.

        He wants $170,000 to cover the salaries and benefits for a captain and lieutenant to oversee the division's preparedness efforts. Now, Chief Wright said, his emergency medical services supervisors are pulling double duty on terrorism coordination.

        Division officials are working on a list of priorities. Once the congressman gets that, he'll talk with other local lawmakers and try to help the fire division find some money, said Jim Morrell, Rep. Portman's spokesman.

        He said he expects many congressmen to start getting similar requests because Congress has appropriated $40 billion for recovery efforts and the war against terrorism.

        Chief Wright said he also needs money for training. The division is in the process of getting a $600,000 grant to develop a Metropolitan Medical Response System here. Organized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the federal Office of Emergency Preparedness, the MMRS programs mostly buy anti-terrorism equipment.

        That money, the chief said, can't be used for training, salaries or vehicles.

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