Wolf Administration Announces New Investments for Volunteer Fire Companies Fighting Wildfires Across Pennsylvania

​Middletown, PA – In recognition of Fire Prevention Week and the service and sacrifice of volunteer firefighters throughout Pennsylvania, the Wolf Administration announced $646,891 in new funding to help rural communities guard against the threat of wildfires in the state’s forests and other undeveloped areas.

“Firefighters, ordinary women and men all across Pennsylvania, are tasked with the greatest responsibility that can be given to a public organization – the safety and well-being of a community,” Governor Tom Wolf said. “I am pleased that these grants can help so many communities’ volunteer fire companies in their brave work.”

“Across the state, these funds will benefit 132 volunteer fire companies serving rural areas and communities where forest and brush fires are common,” Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said. “To appreciate the value of well-equipped and highly trained wildfire fighters, one only has to look outside Pennsylvania to the horrific fires that sometimes plague other states.”

Speaking to community volunteer and Bureau of Forestry firefighters gathered at Lower Swatara Fire Department headquarters, acting state Fire Commissioner Bruce Trego praised their service to communities close to home – and many others far beyond Pennsylvania’s borders.

“The dangers associated with wildfires continue to pose a growing threat to our state’s forests and rural communities,” Trego said. “Grant programs like these are vital tools for state government to ensure volunteer firefighters get the equipment and the training they need to perform their jobs as professionally and safely as possible.”

In 2017, more than $592,000 was awarded to 129 volunteer fire companies. The grant program, offered through DCNR 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.

“The readiness of these men and women is demonstrated every spring and summer when they answer assistance calls coming from other states, while also responding regularly to local woodland and brush fires,” Dunn said. “These grants allow firefighters from smaller companies to concentrate more on public safety and training while easing their fiscal constraints.”

Recently approved grants include:

Adams

• Gettysburg Fire Department Inc., Gettysburg, $6,458

Allegheny

• Dravosburg Volunteer Fire Department No. 1, Dravosburg, $2,775
• Elizabeth Volunteer Fire Co., Elizabeth, $10,000
• Imperial Volunteer Fire Department, Imperia, $7,500
• Reserve Volunteer Fire Department, Pittsburgh, $5,500

Armstrong

• Dayton District Volunteer Fire Co., Dayton, $10,000
• Distant Area Volunteer Fire Department, New Bethlehem, $10,000
• Ford Cliff Volunteer Fire Co. Inc., Ford City, $600
• Hose Company No. 6, Kittanning, Kittanning, $3,471

Bedford

• Imler Area Volunteer Fire Co., Imler, $6,410

Berks

• Community Fire Co. Of Seisholtzville, Hereford, $3,765
• Strausstown Volunteer Fire Co., No. 1, Strausstown, $7,900

Blair

• Friendship Fire Co. Number 1 Inc., Roaring Spring, $2,585
• Pinecroft Volunteer Fire Co., Altoona, $1,360
• Sinking Valley Volunteer Fire Co., Altoona, $2,132

Bradford

• Windham Township Volunteer Fire Co., Rome, $6,975

Bucks

• Springtown Community Volunteer Fire Co. 1, Springtown, $3,862

Butler

• Harmony Fire District, Harmony, $10,000

Cambria

• Dale Boro Fire Co., Johnstown, $1,000; Dauntless Fire Co., Ebensburg, $7,150

Carbon

• Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1, Lehighton, $10,000

Centre

• Citizens Hook & Ladder Co. No. 1, Milesburg, $2,202
• Gregg Township Fire Co. No. 1, Spring Mills, $810
• Miles Township Fire Co., Rebersburg, $7,500
• Pleasant Gap Fire Co. No. 1, Bellefonte, $10,000
• Reliance Volunteer Fire Co., Philipsburg, $3,248
• Walker Township Volunteer Fire Co., Mingoville, $1,550

Chester

• Berwyn Fire Co. & Ambulance, Berwyn, $4,500

Clarion

• East Brady Volunteer Fire Department, East Brady, $1,983

Clearfield

• Columbia Volunteer Fire Co., Osceola Mills, $2,000
• North Point Volunteer Fire Co., DuBois, $7,400
• Westover Area Volunteer Fire Co., Westover, $10,000

Clinton

• Dunnstown Fire Co., Lock Haven, $1,250
• Nittany Valley Volunteer Fire Co., Lamar, $500
• Renovo Fire Department, Renovo, $9,181
• Volunteer Fire Co. of Mill Hall, Mill Hall, $3,000
• Woolrich Volunteer Fire Co., Lock Haven, $5,547

Columbia

• Espy Fire Co., Bloomsburg, $10,000
• Mifflin Township Forest Rangers & Fire Co. 1, Mifflinville, $2,692
• Valley Chemical Fire Co., Numidia, $3,047

Crawford

• Fellows Club VFD & Ambulance Service, Conneautville, $7,524
• Townville Volunteer Fire Department, Townville, $5,000

Cumberland

• Cumberland Valley Hose Co. No. 2, Shippensburg, $5,000
• Friendship Hose Co. 1 Inc., Newville, $10,000
• South Newton Township Volunteer Fire Co., Walnut Bottom, $5,597
• Vigilant Hose Co. No. 1, Shippensburg, $1,110

Delaware

• Edgemont Township Fire Co. No. 1, Gradyville, $5,815

Elk

• Johnsonburg Fire Department, Johnsonburg, $3,061

Erie

• Union City Volunteer Fire Co., Union City, $3,000

Fayette

• Brownsville Fire Co. No. 1, Brownsville, $7,500
• Hiller Volunteer Fire Co., Hiller, $3,000

Franklin

• Fannett Metal Fire & Ambulance Co., Dry Run, $1,048
• Mont Alto Volunteer Fire Co., Mont Alto, $4,500
• Pleasant Hall Volunteer Fire Co., Pleasant Hall, $2,250
• St. Thomas Township Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company Inc., Saint Thomas, $2,500

Huntingdon

• Mapleton Fire Department Inc., Mapleton Depot, $10,000
• Smithfield Township Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1, Huntingdon, $4,325

Indiana

• Clyde Volunteer Fire Department, New Florence, $923
• Clymer Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1, Clymer, $6,254
• Glen Campbell Volunteer Fire Co., Glen Campbell, $8,000
• Iselin Volunteer Fire Co., Saltsburg, 2,500
• Marion Center Volunteer Fire Department, Marion Center, $2,894
• Plumville District Volunteer Fire Department Inc., Plumville, $2,592

Jefferson

• Oliver Township Volunteer Fire Co., Coolspring, $3,935

Juniata

• Beale Township Fire Department, Port Royal, $1,927
• Richfield Fire Co., Richfield, $3,188

Lackawanna

• Black Diamond Hose Co. No. 2, Archbald, $4,000
• Spring Brook Volunteer Fire Co. Inc., Moscow, $10,000
• Thornhurst Volunteer Fire & Rescue Co., Thornhurst, $3,781

Lancaster

• Adamstown Fire Co., Adamstown, $1,145

Lebanon

• Campbelltown Volunteer Fire Co., Palmyra, $3,492

Lehigh

• Community Fire Co. No. 1 Of North Whitehall Township, Schnecksville, $5,274

Luzerne

• Harding Fire Co., Harding, $2,868
• Hobbie Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1, Wapwallopen, $4,208

Lycoming

• Duboistown Fire Department, Williamsport, $5,000
• Eldred Township Volunteer Fire Co., Montoursville, $6,500
• Picture Rocks Volunteer Fire Co., Picture Rocks, $3,565

McKean

• Bradford Township Volunteer Fire Department, Bradford, $9,134

McKean

• Hamlin Township Volunteer Fire Department, Hazel Hurst, $1,083

Mercer

• Stoneboro Volunteer Fire Co., Stoneboro, $6,000

Mifflin

• Junction Fire Co., Lewistown, $875

Northampton

• Bath Volunteer Fire Fighters & Ambulance Corps Inc., Bath, $1,428
• Klecknersville Rangers Volunteer Fire Co., Bath, $5,000
• Lehigh Township Volunteer Fire Co. 1, Cherryville, $10,000
• Southeastern Volunteer Fire Co., Hellertown, $10,000

Northumberland

• East Cameron Township Fire Co., Shamokin $1,471
• Lower Augusta Volunteer Fire Department, Sunbury, $5,000
• Stonington Volunteer Fire Co., Sunbury, $10,000

Perry

• Marysville Fire Co., Marysville, $10,000

Pike

• Central Volunteer Fire Department, Rowland, $1,600
• Forest Volunteer Fire Department, Hawley, $3,500
• Hemlock Farms Volunteer Fire & Rescue Co., Lords Valley, $3,141
• Lackawaxen Township Volunteer Fire Department, Lackawaxen, $3,500
• Shohola Township Volunteer Fire & Rescue Inc., Shohola, $4,936

Potter

• Coudersport Volunteer Fire Department, Coudersport, $3,350
• Kettle Creek Hose Co. No. 1 Volunteer Fire Co., Cross Fork, $7,045
• Shinglehouse Volunteer Fire Department, Shinglehouse, $3,750

Schuylkill

• Hegins Valley Fire Rescue, Hegins, $10,000
• Mahantongo Valley Fire Co., Pitman, $7,800
• New England Fire Co. No. 1, Tamaqua, $2,600
• South Ward Fire Co. Inc., Tamaqua, $10,000
• Weiser Wildland Firefighters Inc., Pine Grove, $10,000

Somerset

• Garrett Volunteer Fire Co., Garrett, $1,980

Susquehanna

• Rush Volunteer Fire Department Inc., Lawton, $2,400

Union

• Mifflinburg Hose Co. 1, Mifflinburg, $5,000

Venango

• Cooperstown Volunteer Fire Department, Cooperstown $1,525
• Cornplanter Volunteer Fire Co., Oil City, $3,000
• Emlenton Volunteer Firemans Association, Emlenton, $3,500

Warren

• Columbus Volunteer Fire Department, Columbus, $4,500
• Glade Township Volunteer Fire Department, Warren, $2,517
• Russell Volunteer Fire Department Inc., Warren, $10,000
• Spring Creek Township Volunteer Fire Department, Spring Creek, $2,000

Washington

• Amwell Township Volunteer Fire Department, Amity $2,600
• Volunteer Fire Department of Carroll Township, Monongahela, $10,000
• Cokeburg Volunteer Fire Co., Cokeburg, $10,000
• Elrama Volunteer Fire Co., Elrama, $2,500
• Lone Pine Volunteer Fire Department, Washington, $4,005
• Marianna Volunteer Fire Co., Marianna, $6,129
• Stockdale Volunteer Fire Department, Stockdale, $10,000

Wayne

• Equinunk Volunteer Fire Co., Equinunk, $10,000
• Greene Dreher Volunteer Fire Association, Newfoundland, $2,049
• Pleasant Mount Emergency Services Inc., Pleasant Mount, $2,410

Westmoreland

• Chestnut Ridge Community Volunteer Fire Co., Stahlstown, $8,081
• Claridge Volunteer Fire Department, Claridge, $2,331
• Crabtree Volunteer Fire Department, Crabtree, $924
• Export Volunteer Fire Department, Export, $7,279
• Manor Volunteer Fire Department, Manor, $3,387
• Turkeytown Volunteer Fire Co., West Newton, $1,126

York

• Citizens Hose Co. No. 1 of Dillsburg, Dillsburg, $3,152
• Southern York County Forest Fire Crew Inc., Glen Rock, $4,460
• Union Volunteer Fire Co., Felton $8,388
• Wellsville Fire Co., Wellsville $4,458

Local firefighting forces in 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. Grants may be used for purchasing mobile or portable radios; installing water supply equipment; wildfire prevention and mitigation work; training wildfire fighters; or converting and maintaining federal excess vehicles.

The key objective is to better equip and train volunteers to save lives and protect property in unprotected or inadequately protected rural areas. Grant recipients are selected based on vulnerability and adequacy of existing fire protection.

Aid is granted on a cost-share basis, with recipients supplying matching funds. Grants for any project during a fiscal year cannot exceed 50 percent of the actual expenditures of local, public and private nonprofit organizations in the agreement. The maximum grant awarded any fire company in 2018 was $10,000.