Rural and volunteer fire departments from 46 counties have been awarded more than $297,000 in Volunteer Fire Assistance grants.
The grants, announced by DNR director Cameron Clark, are administered by the DNR Division of Forestry and made available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.
DNR Forestry staff reviewed grant applications and selected recipients on the basis of population density, acres of public wildlands protected, and wildland fire reporting to DNR Fire Control Headquarters.
Grants may be used for training, installation of dry hydrants, or to purchase necessary firefighting equipment and gear to combat wildland fires. As in past years, the Wildland Fire category was highlighted. The awarded grants range from $1,500 to $5,000 and were given to 71 departments.
Fire departments interested in applying for VFA grants should contact Mark Huter, Assistant State Fire Coordinator, Fire Control Headquarters, 6220 Forest Road, Martinsville, IN 46151, or call 765-792-4654.
Fire departments receiving grants in 2019, the amount of the grant, county and the project category are:
| Madison Township – Hoagland VFD | Allen | $4,896.00 | Safety | |
| Southwest Bartholomew VFD Inc. | Bartholomew | $3,910.00 | Safety | |
| Charlestown VFD | Clark | $5,000.00 | Water Handling | |
| Monroe Township | Clark | $5,000.00 | Foam | |
| Van Buren Township Vol. Fireman Assn | Clay | $4,758.00 | Radios | |
| Madison Township Volunteer Firemen | Clinton | $2,345.00 | Radios | |
| Rossville VFD Inc. | Clinton | $4,800.00 | Safety | |
| Elnora Elmore Township VFD | Davies | $5,000.00 | Safety | |
| Letts Community Volunteer Fire | Decatur | $2,588.00 | Water Handling | |
| Celestine VFD | Dubois | $4,975.00 | Water Handling | |
| Dubois VFD | Dubois | $4,413.00 | Safety | |
| Madison Township VFD | Dubois | $2,813.00 | Water Handling | |
| St. Anthony VFD | Dubois | $4,329.00 | Radios | |
| Hillsboro VFD | Fountain | $2,100.00 | Safety | |
| Eagle Fire Company Of Oldenburg | Franklin | $1,900.00 | Water Handling | |
| Beech Creek Township Eastern FD | Green | $4,300.00 | Safety | |
| Center-Jackson Fire Territory | Green | $5,000.00 | Safety | |
| Boone Township VFD | Harrison | $5,000.00 | Radios | |
| Lizton / Union Twp VFD | Hendricks | $5,000.00 | Safety | |
| Stilesville Volunteer Fire & Rescue Inc. | Hendricks | $2,370.00 | Safety | |
| Greentown Volunteer Fire Co., Inc. | Howard | $4,810.00 | Safety | |
| Mt. Etna VFD | Huntington | $4,775.00 | Safety | |
| Warren VFD | Huntington | $1,777.00 | Wildland | |
| Keener Township VFD | Jasper | $5,000.00 | Radios | |
| Bryant VFD | Jay | $5,000.00 | Water Handling | |
| Campbell Township VFD | Jennings | $4,935.00 | Radios | |
| Spencer Township VFD | Jennings | $5,000.00 | Radios | |
| Vincennes Township Fire District | Knox | $4,800.00 | Safety | |
| LaGrange VFD | LaGrange | $5,000.00 | Radios | |
| LaCrosse VFD | LaPorte | $5,000.00 | Safety | |
| Noble Township VFD | LaPorte | $5,000.00 | Safety | |
| Marion Township Rural FD Inc. | Lawrence | $5,000.00 | Safety | |
| Marshall Township | Lawrence | $2,500.00 | Safety | |
| Mitchell VFD | Lawrence | $5,000.00 | Wildland | |
| Lapel Stony Creek Twp. Fire Territory | Madison | $2,547.00 | Safety | |
| Decatur Township FD | Marion | $5,000.00 | Wildland | |
| Ellettsville Fire Dept. | Monroe | $2,760.00 | Safety | |
| Northern Monroe Fire Territory | Monroe | $5,000.00 | Wildland | |
| Van Buren Township VFD | Monroe | $2,426.00 | Foam | |
| A&A Township VFD Inc. | Morgan | $2,809.00 | Wildland | |
| Brooklyn VFD, Inc | Morgan | $4,974.00 | Water Handling | |
| Albion VFD | Noble | $5,000.00 | Safety | |
| Adams Township Fire Dept. | Parke | $5,000.00 | Radios | |
| Bridgeton VFD | Parke | $5,000.00 | Safety | |
| J.U.G.A. VFD | Parke | $5,000.00 | Safety | |
| Central Perry VFD | Perry | $5,000.00 | Safety | |
| Rome VFD, Inc | Perry | $2,442.00 | Safety | |
| Jefferson Township Pike Co. Ind. VFD | Pike | $5,000.00 | Safety | |
| Petersburg VFD | Pike | $5,000.00 | Safety | |
| Kouts VFD | Porter | $5,000.00 | Water Handling | |
| Morgan Township VFD | Porter | $5,000.00 | Safety | |
| Porter Fire Dept. | Porter | $4,999.00 | Safety | |
| Monterey & Tippacanoe VFD | Pulaski | $4,999.00 | Radios | |
| Farmland VFD | Randolph | $5,000.00 | Safety | |
| Lynn Fire Department | Randolph | $5,000.00 | Safety | |
| White River Township Fire Dept. | Randolph | $5,000.00 | Safety | |
| Scottsburg Fire Dept. | Scott | $4,071.00 | Radios | |
| Fountaintown Community VFD | Shelby | $5,000.00 | Safety | |
| Chrisney VFD | Spencer | $5,000.00 | Safety | |
| Liberty Township VFD | St. Joseph | $5,000.00 | Safety | |
| Walkerton Fire Dept. | St. Joseph | $4,683.00 | Safety | |
| Angola Fire Dept. | Stueben | $1,500.00 | Wildland | |
| Fremont Fire Dept. | Stueben | $2,498.00 | Wildland | |
| Hymera Jackson Township Fire Dept. | Sullivan | $2,438.00 | Radios | |
| Jeff-Craig Fire & Rescue Inc. | Switzerland | $5,000.00 | Wildland | |
| Kempton Fire & Rescue | Tipton | $3,750.00 | Water Handling | |
| McCutchanville Fire Dept. | Vanderburg | $2,291.00 | Water Handling | |
| Black Diamond | Vermillion | $2,780.00 | Radios | |
| Roann VFD Inc. | Wabash | $4,200.00 | Water Handling | |
| Chandler VFD | Warrick | $2,500.00 | Radios | |
| Gibson Township-Little York VF Co., Inc | Washington | $5,000.00 | Radios |