{"id":40219,"date":"2026-06-10T18:36:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T23:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/?p=40219"},"modified":"2026-06-10T18:37:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T23:37:38","slug":"idnr-awards-grants-to-local-fire-departments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/40219-idnr-awards-grants-to-local-fire-departments\/","title":{"rendered":"IDNR Awards Grants To Local Fire Departments"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pdfprnt-buttons pdfprnt-buttons-post pdfprnt-top-right\"><a href=\"javascript: window.print()\" class=\"pdfprnt-button pdfprnt-button-print\" target=\"_self\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/pdf-print\/images\/print.png\" alt=\"image_print\" title=\"Print Content\" \/><span class=\"pdfprnt-button-title pdfprnt-button-print-title\">Print<\/span><\/a><\/div><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has awarded $495,000 in federal grants to 73 volunteer fire departments across the state to help with purchasing new equipment or paying for fire training.\u00a0 Several local departments were among those receiving grants.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Volunteer Fire Capacity (VFC) grant program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.\u00a0 The program provides matching funds to aid fire departments in the purchase of new equipment and helps fund training.\u00a0 Funding is passed through IDNR to local fire departments and fire training academies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The 73 grantees provide fire protection to about 250,000 Illinois residents, primarily in rural areas of Illinois.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cIDNR is pleased to support fire protection districts that are necessary to protecting lives and property in some of the most underserved areas of Illinois,\u201d said IDNR Director Natalie Phelps Finnie.\u00a0 \u201cThese grants will fund critical equipment and training resources for rural communities throughout the state.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The VFC grant program (formerly the Volunteer Fire Assistance program) reimburses 50% of the recipients\u2019 project costs up to $10,000.\u00a0 Grant recipients must make the initial financial outlay for the projects before being reimbursed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In 2025, the program awarded $322,893 for 48 Illinois projects.\u00a0 The types of projects that have been funded under previous grants include radios, hoses, self-contained breathing apparatus, turn-out gear, wildland personal protective equipment, hand tools, chainsaws, backpack blowers, modifying federal excess vehicles and equipment, and other equipment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cVolunteer firefighters and rural fire protection districts are essential to keeping our communities safe,\u201d said State Senator Chris Balkema (R-Channahon).\u00a0 \u201cIn many small towns and rural areas, these departments are made up of neighbors who step up to serve and protect others, often with limited resources.\u00a0 These grants will help provide critical equipment and support so first responders can continue doing their jobs safely and effectively.\u00a0 I\u2019m grateful to see these investments coming back to the communities of the 53rd District.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cNo matter what Illinois community our residents call home, their safety matters, and they deserve access to reliable emergency fire services,\u201d said State Senator Napoleon Harris III (D-Harvey).\u00a0 \u201cThese grants will help fire departments buy the equipment and resources they need to keep residents safe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Additional information about grant requirements and opportunities can be found on the IDNR grants website and the <a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/gata.illinois.gov\/grants\/csfa.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Illinois Catalog of State Financial Assistance<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Clay County<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">North Clay Fire Protection District, $10,000<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Coles County<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Lincoln Fire Protection District, $8,861<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Effingham County<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Montrose Fire Protection District, $4,568<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Teutopolis Fire Protection District, $5,367.50<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Tri-County Fire Protection District, $9,958<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Watson Fire Protection District, $4,908<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Shelby County<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Oconee Fire Department, $7,000<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has awarded $495,000 in federal grants to 73 volunteer fire departments across the state to help with purchasing new equipment or paying for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>IDNR Awards Grants To Local Fire 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