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In conjunction with Fire Prevention Week, grant funding totaling approximately $36,129 has been awarded to four rural fire companies in the 49th Legislative District, announced Rep. Bud Cook (R-Washington/Fayette).

The funding is used to better equip and train volunteers to save lives and protect property in unprotected rural areas.

“Our volunteer fire companies are essential to maintaining public safety; however, they are often challenged with sparse funding for the training and gear they need to perform their jobs,” said Cook. “Rural fire departments also have the added difficulty of having to manage possible wildfires in heavily forested areas and being in geographic locations that don’t provide the same level of support as urban fire companies. That is why additional funding for specialized equipment and training is so important.”

Volunteer fire organizations in the 49th Legislative District to receive grants are as follows:

• Carroll Township Volunteer Fire Department, $10,000.
• Cokeburg Volunteer Fire Company, $10,000.
• Marianna Volunteer Fire Company, $6,129.
• Stockdale Volunteer Fire Department, $10,000.

Cook said the money can be used for purchasing wildfire-suppression equipment, protective clothing, mobile or portable radios, water supply installations, wildfire prevention and mitigation, wildfire training; and to convert and maintain federal excess vehicles for fire suppression.

The grant program, appropriated through the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and paid through federal grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, has awarded more than $12.5 million since it began in 1982.

For the latest district event information and state government updates, visit RepBudCook.com and Facebook.com/RepBudCook.

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