Area fire departments awarded grants to fight wildland fires

Friday, October 24, 2025 at 8:47 AM

By Staff report

A total of 100 rural and volunteer fire departments from 54 Indiana counties have been awarded $453,386 in Volunteer Fire Assistance Capacity (VFC) awards from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

The awards will be used for training, radios, or to purchase necessary firefighting equipment and gear to combat wildland fires. The grants are administered by the DNR Division of Forestry and made available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

Among the area departments receiving grants for water handling:

Aubbeenaubbee Twp. Fire Department - $5,000

Kewanna / Union Twp. Volunteer Fire Department - $4,000

Galveston VFD - $5,000

Twelve Mile First Responders - $2,500

Also receiving grants:

Argos VFD - $5,000 for training

Francesville VFD - $5,000 for training

Medaryville - White Post - $4,000 for safety and turn-out gear

Recipients were selected based on population density, acres of public lands protected, and wildland fire reporting to DNR Fire Control Headquarters. As in past years, emphasis was given to projects that involved the fighting of wildfires

The awarded grants range from $1,090 to $5,000.