11 area volunteer fire departments receive grants

COLUMBUS — Area fire departments in Hardin, Putnam and Henry counties are among nearly 200 departments across the state to receive the first-of-its kind Small County Volunteer Fire Department Grant. The grant was established during the 136th General Assembly via House Bill 96, and announced by the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of the State Fire Marshal. The nonrenewable grant was established to help the state's small county fire departments purchase essential equipment, upgrade facilities and enhance access to firefighting training. Legislation that created the grant defined small counties as those that have a population of 70,000 or fewer per the 2020 U.S. Census. "These small, volunteer fire departments, many of which serve rural areas of the state, are the backbone of Ohio's fire service, and the vast majority of them are working with small budgets," said State Fire Marshal Kevin Reardon. "Thanks to the work of the legislature, this grant funding will better equip these departments to do a job that our communities rely on them to do, and that is to be there if and when an emergency strikes." Area departments to receive grants include: Hardin County — Forest Volunteer Fire Department, $50,000 Putnam County — Columbus Grove/Pleasant Township Joint Fire District, $49,918.20; Continental Volunteer Fire Department, $49,598; Fort Jennings Volunteer Fire Department, $50,000; Glandorf Volunteer Fire Department, $ 50,000; Kalida Volunteer Fire Department, $49,854; Leipsic Fire Department, $30,819.08; Miller City Volunteer Fire Department, $50,000; Ottawa Volunteer Fire Department, $45,600; and Ottoville Volunteer Fire Department, $44,315.94 Henry County — Hamler/Marion Township Volunteer Fire Department, $31,920 Approximately 70% of Ohio's nearly 1,200 fire departments rely on volunteers, but the number of volunteers is dropping sharply across the state as highlighted in the 2023 Governor's Volunteer Fire Service Task Force report. From 2018 to 2021, there was a 6.5% decrease in the number of volunteer firefighters. Meanwhile, there was a 9% increase in calls from 2018 to 2020. A total of 190 departments across 49 Ohio counties were awarded a total of $7,997,960 in funding through the grant program. The Small County Volunteer Fire Department Grant program is the latest in a series of initiatives established to support the state's volunteer fire service. Previous actions by the Division of State Fire Marshal include making all training and classes at the Ohio Fire Academy available free of charge for volunteers and volunteer departments; the development of a new volunteer recruitment portal where Ohioans can search for volunteer roles near them and connect directly with department leadership; and the deployment of multiple statewide media campaigns that resulted in an increase in volunteer inquiries.