Rural and volunteer fire departments from 46 counties are splitting a total of $297,000 in Volunteer Fire Assistance grants… and six are located here in Southern Indiana.
These grants are administered by the DNR Division of Forestry and are made possible through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.
DNR Forestry staff reviewed these grant applications. Recipients were selected based on population density, acres of public wildlands protected, and wildland fire reporting to the DNR Fire Control Headquarters.
The grants can be used for training, installing dry hydrants, or purchasing firefighting equipment and gear to fight wildland fires.
The grants range anywhere from $1,500 to $5,000 dollars and were given to 71 departments.
Local departments benefiting include:
-Celestine Volunteer Fire Department, awarded $4,975 dollars for water handling
-Dubois Volunteer Fire Department, awarded $4,413 for safety
-Ireland/Madison Township Volunteer Fire Department, awarded $2,813 for water handling
-St. Anthony Volunteer Fire Department, Otwell, awarded $5,000 for safety
– Chrisney Volunteer Fire Department, awarded $5,000 for safety.
