Illinois State Fire Marshal awards $4 million in grants to Illinois fire departments, EMS providers

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal has announced the recipients of the 2024 Small Equipment Grant Program. A total of $4 million was awarded to 165 fire departments/districts and EMS providers across the state. The program was established to provide grants of up to $26,000 each for the purchase of small firefighting and ambulance equipment.

Local grant recipients and awards were:

• Adams: Clayton Fire Protection District, $26,000
• Brown: Versailles Fire Protection District, $26,000
• McDonough: Good Hope-Sciota Fire Protection District, $26,000
• Pike: Spring Creek Fire Protection District, $26,000
• Pike: Griggsville Fire Department, $25,875

This program is an innovative approach to a problem that has long caused difficulties for 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 buy small equipment that they may otherwise not be able to purchase. The OSFM received 417 applications, requesting around $9.5 million in funding for this grant period.

“We continue to see and hear about the need and understand the issues fire departments face when it comes to funding across the state. I am proud this year we were able to increase our grant funding to $4 million, a $2.5 million increase from last year, which has allowed us to award over 100 more departments money to purchase lifesaving tools they might not have been able to afford otherwise,” Illinois State Fire Marshal James A. Rivera said in a press release.

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 for a minimum of two years prior to applying.