Grants – the lifeblood of rural fire departments

By Editor | June 10, 2026 |

By BETH ZUMWALT

Griggsville and Kioderhook-Hull recently received federal grants in the amounts of $6850 and $7662 respectively.
“The grant has a 50/50 match,” Larry Bradshaw, chief of the Griggsville Fire Protection District, said. “We will use it for new nozzles, hydrant apparatuses, appliances and equipment that will make us more efficient at fire scenes.”
Bradshaw said the department also recently received $26,000 for additional equipment including a cut-off saw, generators to replace the two that have outlived their purpose and other equipment.
In the past couple of years, GFPD has received other grants that has helped them keep up with mandates that are handed down from state and federal agencies overseeing volunteer fire districts.
“We’d be living in the 1980s if it weren’t for grants,” Bradshaw said. “We got $350,000 to update our air packs last year and $125,000 in 2024 for new turnout gear.”
Bradshaw says he applies for lots of grants and gets lots of NOs ,but, keeps on trying because any grant money is money the department is not asking for from the community.
“Businesses are hit hard enough with ball teams, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, classes and activities at the schools,” Bradshaw said. “And we don’t want to go to the tax payers and ask for more.”
Tracy Martin, chief of the Hull-Kinderhook Fire Department said any grants they get are more than appreciated.
“We have between 100 and 130 calls each year,” Martin said. “Probably 80 of those are EMS calls, but, they still need answered. We are responsible for 17 miles of interstate in addition to our rural areas.”
Martin said the departments four main sources of income are grants, fundraisers, taxes and donations.
“Taxes barely allow us to keep the lights on,” Martin said. “We can’t keep up with the upgrades we need the mandates we have to follow.
Martin said he has been on the department since 2000 and only recently became chief.
“We got our pumper in 2002,” he said “They ordered it in 1999 and it came in 2000. That’s the last piece of equipment we have purchased.”
Martin said the latest grant will be used to purchase gear for wild-land fires.
“We are going to get a couple of couplers and nozzles,” he said.
Although Spring Creek Fire Department did not get any grant money this cycle, Chief Josh Martin says the department depends on grants.
“In the last couple of years we have got $26,000 toward new turn-out gear, $350,000 for a fire department substation in Pearl, $400,000 for a pumper and $265,000 for a new brush truck,” Martin sad. “These grants come with matching requirements. Some are as low as a five percent match and others are as high as 50 percent.”
Martin said with so many matches outstanding, he is not applying for any grants in the immediate future.
“FEMA grants are typically five percent, but five percent of $250,000 is still a lot of money,” Josh Martin said.
He said corporate grants are also in play along with state and federal monies.
“We have gotten grants from Compier, Anheuser-Busch, DOT Foods, Wal-mart,” Martin said, adding that getting grants is very competitive.
“FEMA allowed $290 million for grants,” Josh Martin said. “I got our application in the second day and we were the 1,500th department to apply. When bigger departments apply, they asked for millions of dollars and it doesn’t take long to deplete the funds.”
White Hall Fire Department also received $10,000 through the Volunteer Capacity Grant program and Winchester received $9.899. Each grant carries a 50 percent match.
Senator Jil Tracey was instrumental is helping secure the grants.