State Fire Marshal announces $2.2 million in fire safety grants, area communities are recipients

SPRINGFIELD — The office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal and Gov. Bruce Rauner today announced the recipients of the Small Firefighting and Ambulance Service Equipment Grant Program, also known as the Small Equipment Grant Program.

One hundred fire departments and nonprofit ambulance services across the state received grants for the purchase of safety equipment, protective clothing, breathing apparatus and other needed tools. The money for this grant comes from the Fire Prevention Fund. The grants total $2.2 million, with each recipient receiving up to $26,000.

Rauner congratulated the chiefs in attendance for the grant announcement and recognized the risk that first responders take daily.

“Firefighters do not hesitate to put themselves in harm’s way to battle fires, to save lives and to keep us safe,” said Rauner. “It is our job to ensure they have the equipment needed to stay safe. This grant ensures fire departments are better equipped, allowing first responders to more effectively and safely do their jobs.”

State Fire Marshal Matt Perez discussed the grant’s importance.

“This year we had over 400 fire departments from across the state apply for a grant,” Perez said. “The requests for grants totaled over $9 million. We had $2.2 million in funds to award and we ensured that the neediest stations across the state received the money to ensure the safety of the men and women that protect their cities. It is imperative that we continue to find ways to aid the men and women that respond first in a disaster and always put the lives of others before their own.”

This year, research conducted by the Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI) Research Center led OSFM to evaluate new needs. The research on cardiovascular and chemical exposure risks faced by firefighters prompted the inclusion of gear washers as acceptable purchases in this year’s grant application cycle.

Most Illinois fire departments, fire protection districts, township fire departments, and stand-alone, nonprofit ambulance service providers were eligible to apply. All fire department, fire protection district and township fire department applicants were required to have participated in the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) for a minimum of two years prior to applying.

Grant recipients and amounts awarded are as follows:

Adams:
Clayton Fire Protection District- $26,000
Liberty Fire Protection District- $26,000

Alexander:
McClure East Cape Girardeau Fire Protection District- $26,000

Bond:
Shoal Creek Fire Protection District- $25,657.55
Mulberry Grove Fire District- $25,485

Brown:
Brown County Fire Protection District- $26,000

Cass:
Beardstown Ambulance- $20,717
Beardstown Fire Department- $24,120
Virginia Volunteer Fire Department- $9,065

Champaign:
Tolono Fire Protection District- $18,300
Gifford Fire Protection District- $12,670
Rantoul Fire Department- $21,010.94

Christian:
Morrisonville-Palmer Fire Protection District- $22,692

Clark:
West Union Community Fire Protection District- $25,599.95

Clark/Cumberland:
Casey Fire Protection District- $26,000

Clinton:
Beckemeyer-Wade Township Fire Protection District- $25,936

Coles:
Mattoon Fire Department- $15,736.23

Cook:
Harvey Fire Department- $24,999
Richton Park Fire Department- $24,525

Cook/Kane:
Hoffman Estates Fire Department- $18,740

Cook/Will:
Matteson Fire Department- $23,205
Park Forest Fire Department- $26,000

Cumberland:
Toledo Volunteer Fire Protection District- $25,140.98

Fayette:
Brownstown Fire Protection District- $24,451

Franklin:
Valier Fire Department- $26,000
Ziegler Fire Department- $26,000

Gallatin:
Equality Fire Department- $19,961.90
Shawneetown Fire Department- $26,000

Greene:
Carrollton Fire Protection District- $18,000
Roodhouse Fire Protection District- $21,760
White Hall Fire Department- $22,000

Grundy:
Mazon Fire Protection District- $22,320

Hamilton:
Dahlgren Fire Protection District- $24,694.60
McLeansboro Fire Department- $25,988.43

Hardin:
Cave In Rock Fire/Rescue- $23,269.10
Elizabethtown Volunteer Fire Department- $19,020.65
Rosiclare Fire Department- $25,575

Henry:
Kewanee Community Fire Protection District- $24,375

Iroquois:
Martinton Fire Protection District- $25,080

Iroquois/Kankakee:
Otto Fire Protection District- $14,093.25

Jackson:
Gorham Volunteer Fire Department- $25,539

Jefferson:
Jefferson Fire Protection District- $24,272

Jersey:
QEM Fire Protection District- $22,750

Johnson:
Vienna Fire Department- $25,899.25

Kankakee/Livingston:
Reddick Community Fire Protection District- $26,000

Lake:
Beach Park Fire Department- $25,550
Fox Lake Fire Protection District- $25,120

LaSalle:
Oglesby Fire Department- $15,500

Lawrence:
Christy Fire Protection District- $26,000

Logan:
Middletown Fire Protection District- $24,884.88

Macon:
Long Creek Fire Protection District- $18,504.80

Madison:
Collinsville Fire Department- $26,000

Marion:
Kell Community Fire Protection District- $25,680

Massac:
Brookport Fire Department- $26,000
Massac County Fire Protection District- $25,995

McLean:
Towanda Community Fire Protection District- $15,388

Menard:
Menard County Rescue Squad- $26,000
Petersburg Community Fire Protection District- $26,000

Monroe:
Valmeyer Fire Protection District- $24,640

Montgomery:
Fillmore Community Fire Protection District- $23,572.64
Nokomis Area Fire Protection District- $24,366
Nokomis-Witt Area Ambulance Service- $24,793
Taylor Springs Fire Department- $25,695
Raymond Community Fire Protection District- $8,500

Ogle:
Oregon Fire Protection District- $16,827

Piatt:
Cerro Gordo Fire and Rescue- $25,208
Hammond Fire Protection District- $25,372

Pike:
Hull-Kinderhook Fire Protection District- $13,866
New Canton Fire Protection District- $24,576
Pittsfield Fire Department- $13,816
Pleasant Hill Fire Protection District- $21,644

Pulaski:
Olmstead Fire Department- $25,990
Ullin Fire Department- $1,080

Randolph:
Ellis Grove Volunteer Fire Department- $25,810
Sparta Fire Department- $26,000

Richland:
Olney Fire Department- $20,864

Rock Island:
Silvis Fire Department- $25,885

Saline:
Eldorado Fire Department- $8,250
Galatia Fire Department- $26,000

Shelby:
Windsor Area Ambulance Service- $23,800
Windsor Fire Protection District- $25,908
Findlay Fire Protection District- $25,076.25

St. Clair:
Emerald Mound/Lebanon Fire Protection District- $24,345
Washington Park Fire Department- $26,000
French Village Fire Protection District- $22,875
Camp Jackson Fire Department- $26,000
St. Libory Fire Protection District- $25,000

Union:
Ware-Wolf Lake Fire Protection District- $25,688.90

Vermilion:
Fairmount Fire Department- $14,640
Georgetown Fire Protection District- $24,691.20
Ridge Farm Fire District- $24,636
Hoopeston Fire Department- $24,000

Wabash:
Mount Carmel- $15,904.34

Warren:
Central Warren Fire Protection District- $25,680

Washington:
Addieville Community Fire Protection District- $24,050

Wayne:
Fairfield Rural Fire Protection District- $25,234

Whiteside:
Rock Falls Fire Department- $26,000

Williamson:
Carterville Fire Department- $25,824.76

Winnebago:
Win-Bur-Sew Fire Protection District- $17,400

Woodford:
Secor Fire Protection District- $25,490

Video of today's event can be found here.

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