The Rural Fire Protection Program (RFP), managed by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division (Forestry Division), announced Friday they are awarding 91 wildland fire suppression kits to rural fire departments across 46 counties in Arkansas. The RFP received $315,221.13 through the Volunteer Fire Assistance Grant from the United States Forest Service to purchase the kits.
Local rural fire departments receiving a grant are in Marion County Oakland-Promiseland, Pyatt and Ralph-Caney. In Boone County Alpena, Bergman and Zinc.
In Fulton County Glencoe and Morriston. Also awarded in Searcy County is the PG&S Volunteer Fire Department in St. Joe and Timbo in Stone County.
Volunteer fire departments are the primary partner to Forestry Division crews in wildfire response and suppression, but are often in need of specialized equipment and gear necessary for safe wildfire suppression. Since 2014, more than 670 wildland fire suppression kits have been distributed to volunteer fire departments throughout the state. The necessary equipment and gear in the kits include lightweight wildfire-resistant coveralls, wildland gloves, rakes, backpack water pumps, and leaf blowers.
Volunteer fire departments interested in participating in the program must submit an application to the RFP. The applications are scored according to specific criteria including fire district population, the size of the response area, wildfire equipment response needs, and other factors. The next application period is expected to begin in August 2023.
Fire departments should receive an application by mail, or they can be found at agriculture.arkansas.gov/forestry/rural-fire-protection-program/. For more information, fire departments should contact Kathryn Mahan-Hooten, RFP administrator, at kathryn.mahan@agriculture.arkansas.gov or (501) 679-3183.
To see the full list of fire departments receiving kits visit ktlo.com
DeWitt (Arkansas)
Fountain Hill (Ashley)
Unity-Frost Prairie (Ashley)
Cave Springs (Benton)
Gallatin (Benton)
Alpena (Boone)
Bergman (Boone)
Zinc (Boone)
Sumpter (Bradley)
Warren (Bradley)
Chambersville (Calhoun)
Harrell (Calhoun)
Eureka Springs (Carroll)
Oak Grove (Carroll)
DeGray (Clark)
Highway 35 South (Cleveland)
4 Communities (Columbia)
McNeil (Columbia)
District 3 (Crawford)
District 1 (Crawford)
Dumas (Desha)
Kelso-Rohwer (Desha)
Centerville (Faulkner)
Mayflower (Faulkner)
Enola (Faulkner)
Greenbrier (Faulkner)
Pine Village (Faulkner)
Branch (Franklin)
Charleston (Franklin)
Glencoe (Fulton)
Morriston (Fulton)
Lake Hamilton (Garland)
Calvert Township (Grant)
Poyen (Grant)
Sheridan (Grant)
Bingen (Hempstead)
DeAnn (Hempstead)
Guernsey (Hempstead)
New DeRoche (Hot Spring)
Tuckerman (Jackson)
Hardin (Jefferson)
Redfield (Jefferson)
Watson Chapel (Jefferson)
Department 2 (Johnson)
Alicia (Lawrence)
Black Rock (Lawrence)
Southeast (Lincoln)
Cerro Gordo (Little River)
Foreman (Little River)
Sugar Grove (Logan)
Coy (Lonoke)
South Bend 10 (Lonoke)
Ward (Lonoke)
Forum Alabam (Madison)
Huntsville (Madison)
Oakland-Promiseland (Marion)
Pyatt (Marion)
Ralph-Caney (Marion)
Boggy Creek (Miller)
Mandeville (Miller)
Caddo Gap (Montgomery)
Norman (Montgomery)
Southfork (Montgomery)
Fairhills (Nevada)
Elliott (Ouachita)
Central (Poinsett)
Marked Tree (Poinsett)
Cherry Hill (Polk)
Grannis (Polk)
Shady Grove (Polk)
Moreland (Pope)
North Pulaski (Pulaski)
Oak Grove (Pulaski)
Collegeville (Saline)
Paron (Saline)
Traskwood (Saline)
Waldron (Scott)
PG&S (Searcy)
EMP (Sebastian)
Wheatley (St. Francis)
Timbo (Stone)
Calion (Union)
Parkers Chapel (Union)
Three Creeks (Union)
Lincoln (Washington)
Albion (White)
El Paso (White)
Floyd-Romance (White)
Judsonia (White)
Kensett (White)
Velvet Ridge (White)
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