Local fire company receiving $15k grant to support wildland firefighting

MAHANOY CITY – A local fire company is receiving $15,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to help protect the community from wildfires.

The Mahanoy City West End Fire Co. is receiving the grant as part of the grant program intended to strengthen wildfire protection in rural communities.

It helps local fire companies purchase critical wildfire suppression equipment, protective gear, communications tools, and training, DCNR says.

“Making sure our wildfire firefighters are well-equipped and highly trained is essential to protecting our forests and wildlands from both human-caused and naturally occurring fires,” said DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. “One of the most meaningful ways we can thank those who battle brush and forest fires across our Commonwealth is by practicing fire safety every day — especially in the spring, when wildfire risk is highest in Pennsylvania.”

The $15,000 grant award to Mahanoy City is the maximum possible in the program and is on a 50/50 cost-share basis with the fire company.

DCNR says priority was given to projects focused on wildfire suppression equipment and protective clothing.

Funding may also be used for mobile or portable radios, dry hydrant installation, wildfire prevention and mitigation work, wildland firefighter training, and converting vehicles into wildland fire engines.

Nearby, the Mahantongo Valley Fire Co. in Pitman is also receiving a $15,000 grant.

The article Local fire company receiving $15k grant to support wildland firefighting first appeared on The Shenandoah Sentinel.