AMES – June 24, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Grant money is available to Iowa’s rural fire departments for equipment to help battle wildfires.
The Volunteer Fire Assistance Grant offers funding assistance for wildfire suppression equipment, slide in units, hoses, nozzles, adapters, portable tanks and pumps, personal protective equipment and communication equipment. Additionally, if a fire department has a special need that can be tied directly to wildfire suppression, this grant allows for such special requests.
The grant program, administered by the Iowa DNR Forestry Bureau, in coordination with the US Forest Service provides 50 percent reimbursement for wildfire equipment with a maximum reimbursement grant of $3,500 per department.
“Fire departments should have received direct mailings this month that contain information about the grants,” says Gail Kantak, DNR state wildland fire supervisor.
Kantak also reminds fire departments that they should send a Wildland Fire Report whenever they respond to a wildfire or provide assistance to a prescribed or controlled wildland fire. Departments actively returning these reports can receive priority points in the grant application scoring process.
“It is important rural fire departments return these reports so we can assess the actual demands on our rural fire departments as a result of wildfire activity,” says Kantak. Wildland fire reports are compiled locally and nationally, and reported to Congress.
Volunteer Fire Assistance Grant applications are due October 15, 2015.
The Volunteer Fire Assistance Grant application package and the Wildland Fire Report form are also available at www.iowadnr.gov/fire.
