Sen. Thompson announces grants for 40 area fire departments

Sen. Roger Thompson announced Friday that some 40 area fire departments had been chosen to receive $171,598 in grants from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.  The funds, provided to rural fire departments annually, are authorized by the Oklahoma Legislature and are administered by the Forestry Division’s Community Fire Preparedness Program.

“Each of the rural fire departments selected in Senate District 8 will receive a grant of more than $4,000 which can be used for operational expenditures, like equipment and equipment maintenance, insurance premiums and personal protective equipment,” said Thompson, R-Okemah.  “These grants are critical because they enable our departments to purchase equipment and address other costs essential to their firefighting operations on a daily basis.”

The rural fire department operational grants are available for those departments serving communities with populations of less than 10,000 and partially or fully depend on volunteer firefighters.  Those departments receiving grants in Senate District 8 include:

Checotah Fire Department

Fountainhead Area Improvement Council, Inc.

Lotawatah Fire Department, Inc.

Onapa Fire Department, Inc.

Rentiesville area rural Fire District Inc.

Shady Grove Central High Fire Department, Inc.

Warner Fire Department

Webbers Falls Fire Department

Porum Landing Fire Protection Association

Texanna Area Fire Protection Association

Eufaula Fire Department

Porum Fire Department

Vivian Area Fire Association

No. 9 Area Volunteer Fire Department

Henryetta Fire Department

Salem-Ryall Fire District, Inc.

Tiger Mountain Rural Fire Department Incorporated

Boynton Fire Department

Dewar Fire Department

Morris Fire Department

Schulter Fire Department, Inc.

Twin Hills Volunteer Fire Department

Paradise Point Fire Department

Council Hill Fire Department

Hanna Fire Department

Hitchita Fire Department

Carlton Landing Volunteer Fire Department, Inc.

Okemah Fire Department

Haydonville Rural Fire Department Association

Sunrise Fire Department, Inc.

The IXL Sportsman Club Fire Department

Bearden Fire Department

Boley Fire Department

Paden Fire Department

City of Beggs Vol. Fire Department

Nuyaka Volunteer Fire Department, Inc.

Preston Fire Department 

Wilson Community Fire Department

Liberty Area Fire Protection Association

Mounds Fire Department

“Our rural fire departments are vital to the communities they serve.  Keep in mind these men and women are largely volunteers.  Not only do they protect life and property from fires, they also are first-responders in other dangerous situations, like flooding, tornadoes and other natural disasters,” Thompson said.  “We’re grateful for their service, and I am very pleased these departments will be receiving the grants to help fund their operations.”