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Arizona awards grants to rural fire departments for wildland firefighting

Firefighters who work on wildland fires and prescribed burns (shown here) can be exposed to high levels of harmful smoke.
Jes Burns
/
OPB
The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management has awarded 15 grants to local fire departments and districts to assist with wildland firefighting.

The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management has awarded 15 grants totaling $55,000 to local fire departments and districts to assist with wildland firefighting.

It’s designed to help fire agencies purchase personal protection equipment like fire shelters and hand tools as well as communications equipment and training classes.

Among the recipients of the grants are the Seligman, Crown King and Walker fire districts in Yavapai County; the Williams and Forest Lakes fire departments in Coconino County; and the Joseph City Fire Department in Navajo County, among others.

The Rural Fire Capacity Grant Program assists departments in communities with populations of 10,000 people or less and with 80% of firefighting personnel classified as volunteers.