Moniteau County fire protection districts among grant recipients

In this July 14, 2016 file photo, a fire truck from the Russellville-Lohman Fire Protection District sits outside a Russellville residence as firefighters extinguish a blaze.
In this July 14, 2016 file photo, a fire truck from the Russellville-Lohman Fire Protection District sits outside a Russellville residence as firefighters extinguish a blaze.

The Missouri Department of Conservation Forestry Division is distributing 168 Volunteer Fire Assistance Grants throughout the state.

The California, Jamestown and Russellville-Lohman fire protection districts were among the recipients of the 50 percent match grants.

Shawn Merrill, California Rural Fire Protection chief, has been with the department three years. Among the various grants they apply for, Merrill said, this one in particular is what they count on the most.

"This conservation grant really helps us smaller departments," Merrill said.

The department submitted a request for $5,669.44 to replace 14 older backpack blowers. Firefighters use these in wildland grass fires. The match of $2,834.72 had not been awarded by the time this story was published.

Merrill said the department has applied for other state and federal grants with no luck. California and other small departments don't serve enough residents to receive the funds, he said.

"There's not enough volume there as far as people that it will affect," Merrill said. "A lot of time they go to the bigger departments that affect more people."

Ben Webster, MDC wildfire program supervisor, said the match grants help recipients, especially those with small budgets, make purchases for protective clothing, radios, truck equipment and more.

"The farther out in the rural community you get, the tighter the budget gets," Webster said.

The Russellville-Lohman Fire Protection District received $3,000 and purchased five pagers, six backpack pumps, three backpack blowers and three handheld blowers.

The equipment cost the department $6,212.05.

The Jamestown Rural Fire Protection District received $918 and purchased three chainsaws with carrying cases.

The Volunteer Fire Assistance program will award $386,639.14 in grants this year. For more than 30 years, more than $8 million has been distributed to rural fire departments.