News Release

COLUMBUS, OH - Twenty-two fire protection agencies across Ohio have been awarded a total of $53,770 in Rural Community Fire Protection grants through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Forestry. The grants fund new or upgraded equipment and training at community fire departments.

“These grants help Ohio’s smaller community fire departments improve their firefighting capabilities in rural fields and forests which can be susceptible to fire,” said Michael Bowden, rural fire and training coordinator for the ODNR Division of Forestry.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Rural Community Fire Protection grants are administered locally by ODNR, which reviews local applications and recommends grant recipients for final federal approval. Grants are awarded for as much as $3,000 to communities with populations under 10,000. Each grant requires at least a 50 percent match in local funds.

As part of this year’s Rural Community Fire Protection grants, $7,500 has also been awarded to the Ohio Fire Academy for rural firefighter training and $5,000 has been allocated to the Ohio Rural Fire Council for the purchase of firefighting equipment.

Since the grant program was established in 1975, nearly $2,000,000 has been awarded to nearly 780 rural fire departments across Ohio.