Fire departments receive grants in Wis.

The Telegraph Herald

CRAWFORD COUNTY, Wis. — Several fire departments in Crawford and Grant counties are receiving Forest Fire Protection grants.

They are among 233 Wisconsin fire departments receiving funding — $611,000 — during the recently completed grant cycle.

The departments include:

Boscobel River Fire Department, $1,106
It bought 10 five-gallon pails of Class A Foam and 10 back cans.

The foam allows water to penetrate deeper into burning fuels, enabling firefighters to extinguish fires quickly and with less water than otherwise would be needed.

Back cans are metal, backpack-style fire pumps.

Firefighters carry the portable, hand-operated pumps into areas not accessible by vehicles to extinguish wildfires.

Lancaster Fire Department, $1,162.50
It bought a portable floating pump.

The lack of fire hydrants in rural areas poses challenges to firefighters faced with suppressing a wildland fire.

The portable pump will allow firefighters to pump water from small streams, ponds, or even swimming pools directly onto the edge of a fire or into equipment that will then be used to extinguish the fire.

Muscoda Fire Department, $3,497.50
It purchased a Terrator skid unit for use on the 2009 Polaris Ranger 6X6 it acquired last year.

The skid unit includes a 100-gallon tank, pump, 100 feet of forestry hose and tool crib.

The addition of the skid unit makes the Ranger suitable for aggressive attacks on wildland fires and rescue operations.

Wauzeka Fire Department, $5,623
It purchased a skid unit for a vehicle, five brush jackets, and 15 pairs of brush pants.

The specialized wildland firefighting clothing is cooler and weighs less than structural turn-out gear, thus lessening the risk of firefighters suffering from heat exhaustion or coronary problems.

The Forest Fire Protection grant program is designed to improve fire department responses to wildland fires by covering 50 percent of the cost of eligible projects.

The funds may be used for forest fire suppression training, prevention activities, and the purchase of tools and personal protective equipment suitable for use on wildland fires.

Federal and state money is combined to make these grants available.

The program is administered by the state Department of Natural Resources.

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