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DCNR Awards Rural Firefighting Grants
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More than $669,000 will be awarded to help firefighters in Pennsylvania’s rural communities guard against the threat of fires in forests and other undeveloped areas, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Richard J. Allan announced Thursday.
“These funds will be distributed to 160 volunteer fire companies in rural areas and communities where forest and brush fires are common,” Allan said. “To understand the importance of readiness, equipment and training, one only has to look back to spring of 2010 when dry, windy conditions spawned smaller fires in every county, along with several larger forest fires.”
Local firefighting forces in rural areas or communities with fewer than 10,000 residents qualify for the aid. Last year, the grant program awarded $666,553 to 172 fire companies statewide.
“The readiness of these volunteers is demonstrated even further every spring and summer when they routinely answer assistance calls coming from other states,” Allan said. “These federal grants allow firefighters from smaller companies to concentrate more on public safety and training while easing their fiscal constraints.”
Grant recipients were named following review of fire company applications meeting a May 2011 deadline. Grants and other assistance are provided through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Bureau of Forestry, with funding supplied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service through the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978.
The key objective is to better equip and train volunteers to save lives and protect property in unprotected or inadequately protected rural areas. Grant recipients are selected based on vulnerability and adequacy of existing fire protection.
In reviewing applications, the state placed priority on applications seeking funds for projects that included purchasing wildfire-suppression equipment and protective clothing.
Grants were also awarded for mobile or portable radios, dry hydrant installations, wildfire prevention and mitigation, wildfire-fighting training, and to convert and maintain federal excess vehicles used for fire suppression.
Grants for any project during a fiscal year cannot exceed 50 percent of the actual expenditures. The maximum grant awarded was $7,500.
Aid is granted on a cost-share basis, with recipients supplying matching funds. The bureau will begin accepting 2012 applications next spring.
For more information, visit DCNR's Volunteer Fire Assistance webpage.
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8/8/2011 |
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