With the approach of spring and the increased risk of forest and brush fires across the state, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced federal grants again are available to help Pennsylvania’s rural communities better guard against the threat of fires in forested, undeveloped and unprotected areas through the Volunteer Fire Assistance Grants.

The deadline for applications is May 23.

“Warming temperatures, sunny days and strong winds quickly usher in wildfire dangers that emphasize the value of having well-trained and well-equipped local firefighting forces in rural areas,” said DCNR Secretary Richard Allan. “These men and women deserve nothing but the very best training and equipment these grants help achieve.”

“In 2012, more than $540,000 was awarded to 141 volunteer fire companies serving rural areas and communities where forest and brush fires are common,” Allan said. “One only has to look back to past springs—when dry, windy conditions spawned smaller fires in every county and sometimes large forest fires—to appreciate the value of these well-equipped and highly trained men and women.”

Local firefighting forces in rural areas or communities with fewer than 10,000 residents qualify for the aid, which is used for training and equipment purchases directly related to fighting brush and forest fires. The grant program has awarded almost $10 million since it began in 1982.

“The readiness of these volunteers is demonstrated even further every spring when they answer assistance calls coming from other states,” Allan noted. “These federal grants allow firefighters from smaller companies to concentrate more on public safety and training rather than having to concern themselves with fundraising and fiscal constraints."

Grants and other assistance are offered annually through DCNR’s 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 threat of wildfires continues to loom in our state’s 17 million acres of woodlands as development encroaches upon large, forested tracts,” said Allan. “The number of homes and communities in Pennsylvania’s wooded and rural areas grows each year, as does the threat of wildfires. We need citizens to do their part by following local outdoor burning ordinances and exercising common sense in our woodlands.”

In reviewing applications, the bureau will place priority on those requests seeking funds for projects that include the purchase of wildfire suppression equipment and protective clothing.

Grants also may be used for purchasing mobile or portable radios, installing dry hydrants, wildfire prevention and mitigation work, training wildfire fighters, or converting and maintaining federal excess vehicles. These vehicles are presented to the local departments exhibiting the greatest needs and that commit to outfitting them for fire suppression.

Aid is granted on a cost-share basis. Grants for any project during a fiscal year cannot exceed 50 percent of the actual expenditures of local, public and private nonprofit organizations in the agreement. The maximum grant that will be considered from any fire company in 2013 is $7,500.

To expedite application and decision-making processes, the bureau again is accepting only online applications.  All applications must be electronically submitted via DCNR’s eGrant webpage.

For more information, visit DCNR’s Volunteer Fire Assistance Grants or contact the bureau’s Division of Forest Fire Protection at 717-787-2925.

(Reprinted from DCNR’s Feb. 20 Resource newsletter.)

2/25/2013