Springfield, Ill- The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM) announced the recipients of the 2021 Small Equipment Grant Program. A total of $3.3 million was awarded to 149 fire departments/districts and EMS providers across the state. The OSFM received 448 applications, requesting around $10.5 million in funding for this grant period.
"First responders put their lives on the line every single day to do the critical work of protecting Illinois' communities. I am pleased to award $3.3 million in small equipment grants to 149 fire departments and EMS providers throughout the state, providing critical funding that will enable the purchase of new firefighting and ambulance equipment," said Governor JB Pritzker. "On behalf of all Illinois residents, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to first responders for the work they do and their ongoing efforts to maintain the safety of our families and communities."
The Small Equipment Grant Program was established to provide grants of up to $26,000 each for the purchase of small firefighting and ambulance equipment. This program is an innovative approach to a problem that has long caused difficulties for the fire departments and not-for profit ambulance services in Illinois, particularly those that have hardships in generating the necessary revenue for small equipment. The purpose is to allow eligible applicants the opportunity to purchase small equipment that they may otherwise not be able to purchase.
"Departments have had to make tough financial decisions, especially this year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ensuring our first responders in Illinois have properly functioning lifesaving equipment they need to perform their duties safely, while protection their communities, is our top priority. The Small Equipment Grant Program helps reduce the burden on smaller departments/districts while replacing aging and sometimes failing small equipment," says Illinois State Fire Marshal Matt Perez.
"The funding we received from the Office of the State Fire Marshal's Small Equipment Grant Program will help our department replace aging turn out gear. Like numerous other departments across the state, finding sources of funding has been tough. The new gear will allow our firefighters to operate safely on the firegrounds and provide them peace of mind while they are protecting the community," says McLeansboro Fire Chief Jim Morris.
"Over the past several years, our hand-held radios have been consistently failing on the fireground, where they are most needed. This was putting our firefighters in great danger, since it was likely that they would not be able to communicate using these radios in an emergency situation. With the high cost to replace the defective equipment, coupled with operating on a tight budget, it was uncertain when (or if) they would be replaced. Now that we have been awarded the Small Equipment Grant from the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal, our radios will be replaced with new radios that meet the NFPA standards for functioning during fireground operations. This will have a tremendous impact on our department, both directly through the purchase of new radios, and by allowing department funds to be used on other necessary safety and life-saving equipment. We are very grateful to the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal for selecting our department to receive this grant," says Rock Falls Fire Department Captain Kyle Sommers.
"This grant award means a great deal to our department as we are a smaller district with a smaller budget. It is imperative that we actively seek grants for equipment purchases and replacements due to skyrocketing cost of fire equipment and related insurance costs. Building, grounds and apparatus upkeep are so very expensive and often our fire districts tax supported budget alone cannot support some of our needs which are necessary to protecting the citizens in our area. We are so very grateful to the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal in choosing our agency this year and for recognizing the needs of the fire service throughout Illinois," says South Wheatland Fire Protection District Chief Thomas Williams. Most Illinois fire departments, fire protections districts, township fire departments, and stand-alone, nonprofit ambulance service providers were eligible to apply. All fire departments, fire protections districts 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 awards are listed below:
Adams:
Clayton Fire Protection District- $25,962
Liberty Fire Protection District- $25,885
Alexander:
Horseshoe Lake Volunteer Fire Department- $26,000
McClure-East Cape Girardeau Fire Protection District- $23,757.50
Bond:
Shoal Creek Fire Protection District- $25,909
Brown:
Brown County Fire Protection District- $26,000
Mount Sterling Fire Department- $26,000
Bureau:
Mineral-Gold Fire Protection District- $24,627
Neoponset Fire Protection District- $21,760
Spring Valley Fire Department- $19,950
Carroll:
Thomson Fire Protection District- $23,783.90
Cass:
Virginia Volunteer Fire Department- $10,948.30
Champaign:
Carroll Fire Protection District- $16,376.76
Gifford Fire Protection District- $9,350
Savoy Fire Department- $10,982
Tolono Fire Protection District- $18,226
Christian:
Morrisonville-Palmer Fire Protection District- $23,698.75
Clark:
Martinsville Fire Protection District- $26,000
Clay:
Xenia Fire Protection District- $20,175.20
Cook:
City of Country Club Hills Fire Department- $4,125
Ford Heights Fire Department- $25,982
Garden Homes Fire Protection District- $23,450
Midlothian Fire Department- $26,000
North Riverside Fire Department- $25,732
Park Forest Fire Department- $22,725
South Chicago Heights Fire Department- $26,000
Dekalb:
Sycamore Fire Department- $13,363.98
DeWitt:
Kenny Fire Protection District- $25,112
Wapella Community Fire Protection District- $26,000
Douglas:
Tuscola Fire Department- $24,412.50
Fayette:
Brownstown Fire Protection District- $15,700
Franklin:
Coello Volunteer Fire Department- $26,000
Fulton:
Cass-Putnam Rescue Service- $25,839
Copperas Creek Fire Protection District- $17,000
Gallatin:
Equality Fire Department- $26,000
Greene:
Roodhouse Fire Protection District- $22,831
White Hall Fire Protection District- $24,500
Grundy:
Gardner Fire Protection District- $17,480
Verona-Kinsman Fire Department- $10,477.60
Grundy/LaSalle:
Seneca Fire Protection and Ambulance District- $2,500
Hamilton:
McLeansboro Fire Department- $25,031.92
Hancock:
Nauvoo Fire Protection District- $26,000
Hardin:
Rosiclare Fire Department- $25,151.18
Henderson:
Biggsville Fire Protection District- $21,225
Iroquois:
Buckley Fire Protection District- $26,000
Danforth Township Fire Protection District- $22,610
Jackson:
Carbondale Fire Department- $6,771.41
Murphysboro Fire Department- $8,388
Vergennes Fire Department- $25,990
Jefferson:
Jefferson Fire Protection District- $25,638
Jersey:
Jerseyville Fire Department- $25,698
Jo Davies:
Apple River Fire Protection District- $26,000
East Dubuque Fire Department- $23,934
Johnson:
Cypress Volunteer Fire Department- $25,868
Kane:
Burlington Community Fire Protection District- $26,000
Montgomery & Countryside Fire Protection District- $6,565
Kankakee:
Bradley Fire Department- $25,825
Grant Park Fire Protection District- $24,520
Limestone Township Fire Protection District- $26,000
Kendall:
Newark Fire Protection District- $26,000
Knox:
Williamsfield Fire Protection District- $26,000
Lake:
Village of Libertyville- $25,974
Winthrop Harbor Fire Department- $12,924
LaSalle:
Oglesby Fire Department- $21,995
Sheridan Community Fire Protection District- $26,000
Tonica Volunteer Fire Department, Inc.- $25,528
Livingston:
Dwight Fire Protection District- $21,885
Fairbury Fire Department- $26,000
Odell Fire Protection District- $25,720
Logan:
Emden Fire Protection District- $15,520
Middletown Fire Protection District- $25,729.45
Macon:
Hickory Point Fire Protection District- $21,837.95
Mt. Zion Fire Protection District- $25,670
South Wheatland Fire Protection District- $23,165.18
Macoupin:
Brighton Betsy Ann Fire Protection District- $24,144.89
Bunker Hill Fire Protection District- $12,750.95
Girard Fire Protection District- $25,256
Madison:
Alhambra Community Fire Protection District- $25,103
Collinsville Fire Department- $20,000
Cottage Hills Fire Protection District- $26,000
Edwardsville Fire Department- $9,554
Olive Fire Protection District- $11,836
Saint Jacob Fire Department- $22,600
South Roxana Fire Protection District- $26,000
Village of East Alton Fire Department- $25,367.25
Worden Fire Protection District- $26,000
Marion:
Kell Community Fire Protection District- $25,752.18
Salem Fire Protection District- $14,580
Marshall:
Lacon-Sparland Fire Protection District- $25,820
Mason:
Havana Rural Fire Protection District- $10,460
Mason City Fire Department- $25,811.80
Massac:
Brookport Fire Department- $26,000
McHenry:
Marengo Fire Protection District- $26,000
McLean:
Allin Township Fire Protection District- $8,865
Bellflower Fire Protection District- $5,741
Mercer/Rock Island:
Reynolds Fire Protection District- $25,974
Monroe:
Hecker Fire Protection District- $21,178.80
Valmeyer Fire Protection District- $21,770
Montgomery:
Fillmore Community Fire Protection District- $26,000
Nokomis Area Fire Protection District- $16,773
Morgan:
South Jacksonville Volunteer Fire Department- $20,636
Moultrie:
Dora Township Fire Protection District- $24,830
Sullivan Fire Protection District- $26,000
Ogle:
Oregon Fire Protection District- $24,500
Peoria:
Akron-Princeville Fire Protection District- $25,751.02
Elmwood Fire Department Inc.- $26,000
Peoria Heights Fire Department- $25,660
Perry:
DuQuoin Fire Department- $25,300
Pinckneyville Fire Protection District- $26,000
Piatt:
Cerro Gordo Fire and Rescue- $25,000
Monticello Fire & Rescue Department- $22,398
Pike:
Pleasant Hill Fire Protection District- $16,622
Pulaski:
Olmsted Fire Department- $25,795.47
Putnam:
Magnolia Fire Protection District- $25,640
Randolph:
Sparta Fire Department- $26,000
Steeleville Fire Department- $21,000.88
Richland:
City of Olney Fire Department- $25,618.44
Sangamon:
Divernon Fire Protection District- $22,500
Williamsville Fire Protection District- $25,900
Schuyler:
City of Rushville- $17,538.40
St. Clair:
Cahokia Volunteer Fire Department- $19,095
French Village Fire Department- $20,282.28
The East St. Louis Fire Department- $26,000
Stephenson:
Freeport Fire Department- $12,950
Orangeville Fire Protection District- $20,260
Rock City Fire Protection District- $23,745
Tazewell:
Cincinnati Fire Protection District- $24,774.76
North Pekin Fire Department- $21,741
Schaeferville Fire Protection District- $24,130.30
Union:
Ware-Wolf Lake Protection District- $25,972
Vermilion:
Westville AFPD- $26,000
Wabash:
Allendale Rural Fire Protection District- $25,651.44
Warren:
Central Warren Fire Protection District- $24,823.80
Monmouth Fire Department- $25,348
Washington:
Addieville Community Fire Protection District- $25,723.92
Wayne:
Bedford Township Fire Protection District- $25,990
Fairfield Fire Department- $24,134
Whiteside:
Rock Falls Fire Department- $26,000
Will:
Beecher Fire Protection District- $26,000
Northwest Homer Fire Protection District- $25,650
Williamson:
Energy Fire Department- $22,700
Hurst Fire Department- $25,550.80
Lake Egypt Fire Protection District- $25,979
Williamson County Fire Protection District- $26,000
Winnebago:
Blackhawk Fire Protection District- $26,000
New Milford Fire Protection District- $26,000
Win Bur Sew Fire Protection District- $22,008
Woodford:
Deer Creek Fire Protection District- $26,000
Secor Fire Protection District- $16,640
Original source can be found here.
