More than 70 rural and volunteer fire departments from 47 Indiana counties have been awarded more than $320,000 in Volunteer Fire Assistance grants, DNR Director Dan Bortner announced today.
The awards will be used for training, installation of dry hydrants, or to purchase necessary firefighting equipment and gear to combat wildland fires. The grants are administered by the DNR Division of Forestry and made available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.
Recipients were selected based on population density, acres of public wildlands protected, and wildland fire reporting to DNR Fire Control Headquarters. As in past years, the emphasis was given to projects that involved the fighting of wildfires.
The awarded grants range from $1,000 to $5,000 and were given to 76 departments.
Fire departments receiving the grants in 2020, the amount of the grant, county and the project category are:
| Hoagland Vol. Fire Co. Inc. | Allen | $4,932.00 | Safety |
| Hope VFD | Bartholomew | $4,740.00 | Communication |
| Southwest Bartholomew VFD | Bartholomew | $3,100.00 | Safety |
| Richland Township VFD | Benton | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| Southern Brown VFD | Brown | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| Charlestown VFD | Clark | $5,000.00 | Water Handling |
| Monroe Township VFD | Clark | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| Centerpoint & Community Vol. Fire Co. | Clay | $2,800.00 | Water Handling |
| Poland Fire Protection Territory | Clay | $5,000.00 | Wildland |
| Van Buren Township Vol. Firemans Assn. | Clay | $5,000.00 | Water Handling |
| Rossville VFD | Clinton | $4,850.00 | Safety |
| Elnora Elmore VFD | Daviess | $4,828.32 | Safety |
| Letts Community VFD | Decatur | $4,750.00 | Wildland |
| Decatur Co. Firemen’s Assn. | Decatur | $5,000.00 | Communication |
| Celestine VFD | Dubois | $4,987.50 | Communication |
| Dubois VFD | Dubois | $4,390.60 | Safety |
| Madison Township VFD | Dubois | $3,049.00 | Communication |
| St. Anthony VFD | Dubois | $4,125.00 | Communication |
| Eagle Fire Co. of Oldenburg | Franklin | $4,000.00 | Water Handling |
| Oakland City Fire Dept. | Gibson | $2,678.26 | Wildland |
| Center Jackson Fire Territory | Greene | $4,990.00 | Water Handling |
| Sheridan Fire Dept. | Hamilton | $2,091.95 | Wildland |
| Harrison Township Fire Protection District | Harrison | $3,800.00 | Safety |
| Stilesville Vol. Fire & Rescue | Hendricks | $4,190.00 | Safety |
| Greentown Vol. Fire Co. | Howard | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| Mt. Etna VFD | Huntington | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| Owen Township VFD | Jackson | $5,000.00 | Wildland |
| Pershing Township VFD | Jackson | $2,700.00 | Wildland |
| Wheatfield VFD | Jasper | $2,499.50 | Water Handling |
| Campbell Township VFD | Jennings | $2,537.50 | Communication |
| Palmyra Township Fire Dept. | Knox | $4,970.00 | Communication |
| Vincennes Township Fire District | Knox | $5,000.00 | Water Handling |
| LaGrange VFD | LaGrange | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| Lowell VFD | Lake | $3,000.00 | Training |
| LaCrosse VFD | LaPorte | $5,000.00 | Wildland |
| Long Beach Fire Dept. | LaPorte | $1,000.00 | Wildland |
| Noble Township VFD | LaPorte | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| Marion Township Rural Fire Dept. | Lawrence | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| Marshall Township Vol. Fire & EMS | Lawrence | $2,500.00 | Safety |
| Oolitic VFD | Lawrence | $2,000.00 | Wildland |
| Decatur Township Fire Dept. | Marion | $5,000.00 | Wildland |
| Argos VFD | Marshall | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| Martin Co. Fire and Rescue | Martin | $2,500.00 | Communication |
| Benton Township VFD | Monroe | $3,050.00 | Communication |
| Ellettsville Fire Dept. | Monroe | $2,500.00 | Water Handling |
| Albion VFD | Noble | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| JUGA VFD | Parke | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| Adams Township Fire Dept. | Parke | $5,000.00 | Communication |
| Jefferson Township Pike Co. VFD | Pike | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| Petersburg VFD | Pike | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| Kouts VFD | Porter | $4,684.00 | Water Handling |
| Morgan Township VFD | Porter | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| Porter Fire Dept. | Porter | $4,635.14 | Safety |
| Francesville VFD | Pulaski | $4,500.00 | Water Handling |
| Monterey and Tippecanoe VFD | Pulaski | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| Farmland VFD | Randolph | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| Lynn Fire Dept. | Randolph | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| White River Township Fire Dept. | Randolph | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| Posey Township VFD | Rush | $4,750.00 | Communication |
| Liberty Township VFD | St. Joseph | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| Walkerton Fire Dept. Territory | St. Joseph | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| Warren Township Fire Dept. | St. Joseph | $4,238.80 | Safety |
| Centre Township DBA SW Central Fire | St. Joseph | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| Scottsburg Fire Dept. | Scott | $5,000.00 | Water Handling |
| Fountaintown Community VFD | Shelby | $1,941.44 | Water Handling |
| North Judson-Wayne Township | Starke | $1,955.00 | Water Handling |
| San Pierre VFD | Starke | $2,500.00 | Water Handling |
| Jeff-Craig Fire & Rescue | Switzerland | $5,000.00 | Communication |
| Moorefield Community Fire Dept. | Switzerland | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| Sharpsville Fire Dept. | Tipton | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| German Township VFD | Vanderburgh | $5,000.00 | Safety |
| Roann VFD | Wabash | $4,800.00 | Safety |
| Chandler VFD | Warrick | $2,500.00 | Safety |
| Lynnville VFD | Warrick | $5,000.00 | Communication |
| Pigeon Township VFD | Warrick | $5,000.00 | Communication |
| Monon VFD | White | $1,250.00 | Training |
Fire departments interested in applying for future grants should contact Mark Huter, Assistant State Fire Coordinator, Fire Control Headquarters, 6220 Forest Road, Martinsville, IN 46151, or call 765-792-4654.
To view all DNR news releases, please see dnr.IN.gov.
