24 more fire/EMS departments receive over $350K in grant funding
More than two dozen fire and emergency service departments have received grants from the state totaling $367,342, according to announcements from state Reps. Tim Bonner, Stephenie Scialabba and Aaron Bernstine.
That’s in addition to the 13 fire and EMS departments grants announced Tuesday, Feb. 11, worth $211,578. In total, 37 fire departments in Butler County have received $578,920 in grants this year.
Fire and emergency programs in Butler County benefiting from grant money this year are Adams Area, Bruin (fire and EMS), Callery, Connoquenessing, Cranberry Township (fire and EMS), Eau Claire, Evans City, Harmony EMS, Harmony, Harrisville, Karns City, Marion Township, Middlesex Township, Penn Township, Petrolia, Portersville/Muddycreek Township, Prospect, Quality EMS, Slippery Rock (fire and EMS), Unionville, and West Sunbury.
The program, known as the Fire Company and Emergency Medical Services Grant Program, is administered by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the Office of the State Fire Commissioner. Money for this program come from proceeds from slot machine gaming in Pennsylvania.
“As a nonprofit, we put out for quite a few (grants),” said Matt Nickl, executive director of Cranberry EMS. “There's some rejections, but we're fortunate to have this as a mainstay.”
Fire and EMS departments who receive funding can use it on construction on company facilities, purchase or repair of equipment, employee training, or debt service. Both Adams Area Fire District and Harmony Fire District received just over $28,000 in grants in this year’s round, while Quality EMS received $15,000.
“When you apply for a grant, you have to be specific for what you want it for,” said Conrad Pfeifer, executive director of Quality EMS, which serves six municipalities in the southern part of the county.
Pfeifer says the grant money will pay for improvements to doors and windows of the station building, which sits near a section of Route 228 in Mars that has been a construction area for over a year.
“Our station sits between 228 and Brickyard Road,” Pfeifer said. “There's been construction going on for over a year, and we need to get our building back in shape.”
Nickl says that Cranberry EMS plans to use its $15,000 grant to purchase new computers.
“Our computers are very outdated, so we're replacing our station computers so our crews can fill out their patient care reports,” Nickl said. “Ours are about six years old, but every time our crews get called out they have to use them.”
