The Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Division of Forestry will be providing access to federal grant funding for communities and volunteer fire departments to be better equipped for wildfire.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Division of Forestry will be providing access to federal grant funding for communities and volunteer fire departments to be better equipped for wildfire.
Communities who have developed or are in the process of developing a Community Wildfire Prevention Plan will be eligible for the Hazard Mitigation Assistance program. The 100% reimbursement grant offers up to $20,000 in funding for communities to implement wildfire prevention practices and community education projects in their plan.
Fire departments serving communities with populations of 10,000 or less are eligible for the Volunteer Fire Assistance Program. This is a 50% reimbursement grant for qualifying wildland fire equipment and supplies totaling $1,000 to $6,000. The program supported volunteer fire departments across the state last year with more than 100 grants totaling $259,000.
Mooretown Volunteer Fire Department Chief Michael George informed WBRY that this program has been beneficial to Cannon County over the years. Numerous fire departments in the county have used the program to supplement equipment.
Applications for the Hazard Mitigation Grant will open Monday and end September 20, 2019. Applications for the Volunteer Fire Assistance Program will open August 5th and end September 13, 2019.
Both applications must be submitted to the Assistant District Forester in the applicants’ area. For more information, visit http://www.burnsafetn.org.