COLUMBUS — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Administrator John Logue recently announced that local volunteer fire departments are now eligible to receive up to $15,000 in grants to pay for firefighting safety gear.
Following a recommendation from Gov. DeWine’s Ohio Volunteer Fire Service Task Force, BWC has now broadened eligibility for its Firefighter Exposure to Environmental Elements Grants to include emergency response “turnout” gear for local volunteer fire departments.
With this change to FEEEG eligibility, volunteer fire departments can now apply for up to $15,000 every three years for firefighting gear such as trousers, boots, suspenders and jackets.
DeWine created the Ohio Volunteer Fire Service Task Force in April 2022 to study volunteer fire service in Ohio. The group was chaired by State Fire Marshal Kevin Reardon and comprised of local elected officials and firefighters from across the state. The task force issued a 31-page report in February with several recommendations surrounding various topics including volunteer recruitment, retention, and training.
Volunteer fire departments interested in applying for FEEEG funding can visit BWC’s Grant Management Portal at grantmanagement.bwc.ohio.gov/ to complete an application.
