web1_WACgolf.jpg

WAC golf tournament set for May 23 at Blue Ridge

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is accepting applications for federally-funded grants designed to help small firefighting companies combat brush fires.The grants, which can be used for training and equipment directly related to brush and forest fires, are available to local firefighting forces in rural areas or communities with fewer than 10,000 residents.Applications must be submitted electronically through the DCNR&#8217;s grant website, www.dcnr.state.pa.us, by 4 p.m. Thursday, May 21. Click on &#8220;Apply for Grants,&#8221; then &#8220;Forestry.&#8221;DCNR places priority on request for projects that include the purchase of wildfire suppression equipment and protective clothing. The maximum grant this year is $7,500. Grant money can only cover a maximum of 50 percent of total expenditures, with the remainder coming from local public or private organizations.Last year, 158 volunteer fire companies in rural communities received a total of $591,069 statewide. The money comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service in a program that has awarded more than $11 million since 1982.&#8220;Warming temperatures, sunny days and strong winds soon will usher in wildfire dangers that emphasize the value of having well-trained and well-equipped local firefighting forces in rural areas,&#8221; Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Acting Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said in a media release announcing the grants. &#8220;These men and women deserve the very best training and equipment.&#8221;For more information, visit the DCNR website or contact the bureau&#8217;s Division of Forest Fire Protection at 717-787-2925; email to ra-ffp@state.pa.us.

State offering grants for fighting brush fires