Nearly 200 fire departments across Ohio will receive funding to improve their equipment and services, the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of State Fire Marshal announced. The Monroe Township Fire Department is among the recipients of this new grant program.
The Small County Volunteer Fire Department Grant was established during the 136th General Assembly through House Bill 96. A total of $7,997,960 has been awarded to 190 departments in 49 counties. The grant aims to help small county fire departments purchase essential equipment, upgrade facilities, and enhance access to firefighting training. Small counties are defined as those with a population of 70,000 or fewer according to the 2020 U.S. Census.
"These small, volunteer fire departments, many of which serve rural areas of the state, are the backbone of Ohio’s fire service, and the vast majority of them are working with small budgets. Thanks to the work of the legislature, this grant funding will better equip these departments to do a job that our communities rely on them to do, and that is to be there if and when an emergency strikes," State Fire Marshal Kevin Reardon said according to the Ohio Department of Commerce.
Approximately 70% of Ohio’s nearly 1,200 fire departments rely on volunteers. However, from 2018 to 2021 there was a reported decrease of 6.5% in volunteer firefighters while calls increased by 9% from 2018 to 2020. The grant program is part of ongoing efforts by the Division of State Fire Marshal to support volunteer fire services at a critical time.
Other initiatives include free training at the Ohio Fire Academy for volunteers and volunteer departments, a recruitment portal for prospective volunteers, and statewide media campaigns aimed at increasing interest in volunteering. Additional information about grants and recipients can be found on the Division’s interactive Grants Dashboard at com.ohio.gov/SFMdashboard.
