PENNSYLVANIA — The Shapiro Administration recently awarded a total of $883,143 in grants aimed at enhancing protection against wildfires in rural communities across Pennsylvania. The initiative also seeks to promote fire safety throughout the Commonwealth.
“Ensuring we have well-equipped and highly trained wildfire fighters is key in protecting our forests and wilds from wildfires, whether they are human-caused and naturally occurring,” stated Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. She emphasized the importance of practicing fire safety, particularly during October and November when wildfires are most common in Pennsylvania.
Secretary Dunn, along with State Fire Commissioner Thomas Cook, expressed gratitude to volunteer fire companies for their service to local communities, as well as their participation in battling wildfires beyond Pennsylvania’s borders. These crews have been deployed to various western states to combat wildfires triggered by hot, dry summer conditions, while also regularly responding to local woodland and brush fires. Both officials noted that the wildfire grants significantly aid smaller companies, allowing them to focus more on public safety and training while alleviating their financial burdens.
Commissioner Cook highlighted the significance of grant programs like these, stating, “They are essential financial pipelines, providing firefighters with the mission-critical training, equipment, and supplies needed to safely and successfully complete their missions.”
Grants were awarded on a cost-share basis, with the maximum grant provided in 2023 being $12,500. The grants cannot exceed 50 percent of the actual expenditures of local, public, and private nonprofit organizations. Priority was given to projects involved in the purchase of wildfire suppression equipment and protective clothing. However, the grants can also 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.
In 2022, over $762,000 was awarded to 122 volunteer fire companies. Since its inception in 1982, the grant program, offered through DCNR and funded through federal grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, has awarded almost $16 million.
The Shapiro Administration has so far awarded over $32 million in grant funding to Fire and EMS communities operating in the Commonwealth. This funding ensures access to a vital financial lifeline that provides necessary training, equipment, and supplies to first responders.
Despite an increase in wildfires in Pennsylvania in 2023, the greatest danger occurs during the autumn months of October and November, and the spring months of March, April, and May. In Pennsylvania, 99 percent of all wildfires are caused by human activity.
DCNR urges residents to practice fire safety by ensuring no combustible items are within 10 feet of a fire, having a rake or shovel along with water to suppress fire embers, and checking DCNR’s website for elevated fire risk updates.
Bureau of Forestry further advises to clear the area around the fire before starting it, keep the fire small, ensure a ready source of water is nearby, and extinguish the fire completely with water until all ashes are cold to the touch.
Wildfires burn thousands of acres of state and private woodlands every year in Pennsylvania. The most common causes include debris burning, equipment use, power lines, and campfires. Residents are advised to create “safe zones” around homes and cabins by removing leaves and other debris from the ground and rain gutters, stacking firewood away from structures, and trimming overhanging branches.
Wildfire prevention information, as well as materials for kids and educators, is available on Smokey Bear’s website, a well-known figure who brings the message of wildfire prevention to people across the country.
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