Feb 17, 2022 2 min read

The application window is now open for state-funded grants to help Pennsylvania’s rural communities increase protection from wildfires.

Applications must be electronically submitted through the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resource website by 4 p.m., Thursday, May 12. To expedite applications and decision-making processes, DCNR is accepting only online applications.

Local firefighting forces in rural areas or communities with fewer than 10,000 residents qualify for the aid, which is used for training and equipment purchases directly related to fighting brush and forest fires. Grant recipients are selected based on vulnerability and adequacy of existing fire protection. The key objective is to better equip and train volunteers to save lives and protect property in unprotected or inadequately protected rural areas.

Priority will be placed on projects that include the purchase of wildfire suppression equipment and protective clothing. Grants also may be used for purchasing mobile or portable radios, installing dry hydrants, wildfire prevention and mitigation work, training wildfire fighters, or converting and maintaining federal excess vehicles provided to them by the department.

The maximum grant that will be considered from any fire company in 2022 is $12.500.

Aid is granted on a cost-share basis. Grants for any project during a fiscal year cannot exceed 50% of the actual expenditures of local, public, and private nonprofit organizations in the agreement.