Forada, Sedan departments receive $1,000 grants.

West Central Initiative awarded grants totaling more than $20,000 from The Funders Network’s Community Foundation Disaster Response Fund to 20 fire departments in west central Minnesota.  

“We received a grant from The Funders Network for emergency preparedness activities,” said West Central Initiative’s Director of Development, Rebecca Lynn Petersen. “We’re choosing to distribute the funds to the fire departments that serve our smallest communities. We’re thrilled to help others help others.” 

The COVID-19 pandemic affected funding opportunities for fire departments nationally because emergency management teams had to focus their resources on pandemic response. Fire departments also saw an increase in expenses due to the increased use of personal protective equipment and inflation. Grant recipients in this area included $1,000 each to the Forada and Sedan Fire Departments.

“The top needs in our area are personnel, equipment funding and training,” said Dave Coufal, Fire Chief of the Lake Park Fire Department and President of the Northwest Region of the Minnesota State Fire Departments Association. “Recruiting new members is one of the biggest challenges that we face as rural, paid, on-call, and volunteer departments. The baby boomers are retiring, and many departments are seeing a decrease in applications.” 

You can support your local fire department in a variety of ways. “Whether it’s a simple thank you, a plate of cookies, or a donation to the equipment fund, supporting your fire department is one of the most important things any community can do,” said Coufal.