Equipment Grant Links


Latest Grant Announcement

Congratulations to the following Fire Departments on receiving their recent grants!

  • Palm Beach Shores Fire Department - Palm Beach Shores, Florida
  • Salem Fire Department - Salem, Arkansas

Read more about this grant and others in the section below "How FSF Equipment Grants Help"

FSF's Equipment Grants

About FSF's Equipment Grants Program

Many fire and rescue departments in the U.S. are under funded and volunteer-based. Additionally, many wildfire fighters are volunteers, and need to supply much of their own equipment. To assist these groups, we donate much needed tools and safety equipment to them.

As in any profession, there are often much-needed tools that budgets simply don’t provide for. Unlike most professions, however, the consequences of firefighting and rescue personnel not having these critical items can have tragic results. The donation program is designed to help our country’s public safety professionals do their job better and more safely, thus helping to save the both their lives and those of citizens.

All fire departments in the United States are eligible for an FSF equipment grant and can apply. (Please note that we consider all applications, but we do receive more than we can fund.)



SPECIAL NOTE IF YOU NEED TURNOUT GEAR AND CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF USED GEAR: We occasionally get requests from departments wanting to donate their used equipment to us so that we can then donate it to other departments in need of it.  We are not set up to do this, however if you have equipment to donate or would like to receive usable but used gear, please visit Fire Dog Services This website is set up to act as a recipient of used fire equipment and to find suitable departments that will be happy to have it.




HOW  FSF EQUIPMENT  GRANTS  HELP

Palm Beach Shores Fire Department, Palm Beach Shores, Florida - $4,995 for Personal Protective Equipment
Palm Beach Shores, Florida is on the southern end of an island on the Atlantic shore and includes the easternmost point in the state. It is served by an almost all-volunteer fire department. Typical of so many small VFDs, the department was having trouble finding the funds to outfit their firefighters with even the most basic protective equipment: coats and pants! With this FSF grant, they were able to purchase several sets, which are compliant with safety standards. Now, more of their volunteers are safer on the job when helping their community.
Salem Fire Department, Salem, Arkansas - $4,600 for Wildland Protective Equipment
Salem is a rural town in north-central Arkansas located near the Ozark foothills. Although the town is surrounded by wildland recreation areas, their all-volunteer fire department didn't have the proper protective gear to fight wildfires. There was no other grant money available to them, so FSF was happy to give the department a grant enabling them to purchase 10 sets of wildfire PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).
Gratis Fire Department, Gratis, Ohio - $1,200 for Misting Fan and Extrication Gloves
Gratis is in a rural area of southwestern Ohio. Like many smaller departments, it is always trying to acquire needed equipment for their firefighters safety. A misting fan is essential for firefighter rehabilitation - the process of returning body temperature to a safe level after periods of exposure to intense heat in full turn-out gear. Extrication gloves are required for one of the most common tasks that firefighters perform: extricating trapped passengers from vehicles at accident scenes.

Ellendale Volunteer Fire Department, Ellendale, Delaware - $5,000 for Wildland Firefighting Hose
The town of Ellendale is right in the middle of wildland fire danger as gateway to Delaware’s beach resort area. Its volunteer fire, rescue and EMS department serves the town and surrounding 60 square miles. As is too often the case, the department lacked the funds to adequately equip its members with proper wildfire fighting equipment, and no state or federal monies were available. FSF was able to fund some of this equipment need with this grant.

Olive Volunteer Fire Department, Drumright, Oklahoma - $5,000 to Replace Vital Firefighting Supplies
The Olive Volunteer Fire Department is typical of many VFDs in the country: serving their community with shoe-string availability of equipment and supplies. After fighting the largest grass fire in their county's history (300 homes destroyed or damaged) and the destruction of one of their trucks, they found themselves in desperate need of some basic supplies in order to be capable of simply fighting fires! With our grant they were able to buy a new pump, hose, reel, nozzle and a foam system.
Etowah Fire Department, Etowah, Tennessee - $3,700 for Wildfire Equipment
When a fire department grows, there is often a lag between the needs of the growing community and the capabilities of its public safety agencies. Etowah is experiencing such a lag now, resulting in a lack of needed wildfire fighting equipment to protect the expanded grasslands and wooded areas for which the department is now responsible. With this grant, Etowah FD can purchase necessary hoses, nozzles and tools.
Shenandoah Volunteer Fire Company, Shenandoah, Virginia - $3,000 for Water Rescue Equipment
With a small fixed population and a large tourist influx, Shenandoah VFC has to pay for capabilities that exceed their funding base. They also supply water rescue services to the entire county, an area of 314 square miles traversed by the Shenandoah River! And as critical as it is, the priority of water rescue equipment often comes in below other critical equipment. Shenandoah VFC was in desperate need of basic water rescue gear, and FSF was glad we could help.
Aleknagik Fire/EMS Department, Aleknagik, Alaska - $3,500 for Underwater Rescue Equipment
In rural Alaska a Cessna and a powerboat are often the family cars. Waterways are still major transportation lanes, making them major sites for EMS and rescue operations, including during the half of the year of near total-blackness (which, of course, hinders these maneuvers). The Aleknagik Fire/EMS department needed underwater radar and GPS equipment to safely navigate at night, and to aid at rescue scenes on the major lake and waterways in their area.
Chelsea Fire and Rescue, Chelsea, Alabama - $5,000 for Airbag Lift
This rural Alabama agency responds to many accidents involving tractors, farm equipment and industrial machinery, as well as large truck on the local highway. These kinds of accidents require specialized extrication equipment to save the victims and insure the safety of rescue personnel -- equipment that is expensive and often not practical to get government funding for. With the equipment they bought using FSF's grant, the Chelsea Fire and Rescue Department has already saved a man trapped under a tractor!
Fire District #18, Lewis County, Washington - $3,000 for Water Rescue Vests and Helmets
Lewis County is in a rugged, remote section of Washington state, and they respond to emergencies of all sorts, including water-rescue events. With all the recreational activity in the county, as well as natural disasters, water rescues are not uncommon. The agency could not afford all the water-borne rescue equipment it needed, and turned to FSF for assistance.
Melrose Fire District, Melrose, New York - $4,500 for Water Rescue Swimmer Kits
When someone needs to be rescued from the water, it's the Fire Department that gets the call. This essential job requires specially trained service members, as well as the special equipment that this work requires. Outfitting a trained water rescue professional isn't cheap, and many agencies don't have the funds for this special gear. With our grant, Melrose was able to outfit several of its members.
Shelbyville Fire and Rescue, Shelbyville, KY -- $600 for High Voltage Detectors
Firefighters routinely run across downed electrical transmission wires, both at fires and during natural disasters. Usually there is no time to wait for the power company to show up, and often you can't see a downed wire even though the electricity is lethally dangerous. High voltage detectors are essential for even the smallest agency. With funds short, Shelbyville needed a mere $600 that it didn't have for this critical equipment, and we were glad to help.
Union Road Volunteer Fire Department, Gastonia, North Carolina - $2,700 for A
Training Fire Simulator
A huge problem for the fire service is getting enough tactical decision-making experience for fire officers at actual fires. The decisions that need to be made in a real fire are many, complex, and critical. The only effective way to build such good decision-making skills is by the use of a fire simulator. With this FSF grant, Union Road VFD can buy the computer, projector, and software required to make a fire simulator. They will be able to effectively train members before they have to make decisions while fighting a real fire. The Union Road VFD has also agreed to promote the fire simulator's use with other regional fire departments, thus leveraging our assistance.
New Lenox Fire Protection District, New Lenox, Illinois - $4,200 for
Residential Knox Boxes
Knox Boxes allow firefighters and paramedics access to a resident's home when someone is there but unable to come to the door because of a medical condition. There is a pent-up demand for these Boxes in New Lenox. By using their FSF grant to buy 24 Knox Boxes, the New Lenox FPD can cover everyone on the waiting list, and complete this public safety project.
Lancaster Fire Department, Lancaster, New Hampshire - $4,995 toward
Thermal Imager
Lancaster, NH is in one of the poorest regions of the state, and their old thermal imager was unreliable. Thermal imagers are now basic, necessary equipment for departments, but the money just wasn't there. With FSF's grant added to funds raised locally, Lancaster FD was able to to afford the imager that best met their needs.
Ridgeland Fire Department, Ridgeland, South Carolina - $4,600 for Voice Amplifiers
Ridgeland FD is a mixed full-time/volunteer agency in a high-poverty, rural county. A risk assessment of their agency identified clear communications in a crisis as a top priority. The Scott Voice Amplifiers that FSF helped the FD purchase allows firefighters to more clearly and surely communicate with the incident commander while wearing breathing apparatus. This is essential in an IDLH (immediately dangerous to life or health) environment. During a Mayday event, these amps are literally lifesavers.
Masonville Township Fire Department, Rapid River, Michigan - $2,800 for
Rapid Intervention (RIT) Pak and Bottle
When a fire fighter gets in trouble - "goes down" - and needs to be rescued, the Rapid Intervention Team goes into action. It is their quick and professional action which saves the downed team member. Masonville Township needed a specific air pak that was designed for these situations, and would allow the rescue team to quickly get to the downed fire fighter while carrying special rescue equipment. With a minimal tax base, the department was unable to afford one without this grant from FSF.
Vernon County Ambulance District (VCAD), Nevada, Missouri - $5,000 for
FLIR Thermal Imaging Camera
Vernon County is in a rural part of Missouri, and is part of a mutual support network of agencies in that part of the state. By acquiring a FLIR camera, VCAD, the only structured search and rescue organization in the area, will be much better able to find lost children and adults, particularly in low light when the danger is the greatest in the dense woods. FSF was particularly attracted to the fact that VCAD will share this camera's capabilities with several neighboring agencies, thus multiplying the benefits of this grant.
Battle Creek Community Fire Department, Battle Creek Iowa -   $1,580 for Rechargeable Flashlights
The Battle Creek Community Fire Department of 21 volunteers serves a small rural community in western Iowa. The Department responds to a variety of emergencies involving fires, vehicles, ice and water rescue, and storms. Most of their calls are in the late evening and night hours so reliable lighting is critical.
The Department’s flashlights were almost 20 years old and internal corrosion was causing the batteries to drain until weak or dead. Firefighters couldn’t count on having the lighting they required for emergencies. Now, with an FSF grant, the firefighters are safer with dependable lighting provided by new rechargeable flashlights available in Department vehicles.
Bendersville Community Fire Company, Bendersville, Pennsylvania  -   $3,000 for Rescue Stretchers and Skid
The Bendersville Community Fire Department is located in south-central Pennsylvania 40 miles north of Gettysburg. Their service area includes rural mountainous terrain with limited accessibility where they routinely respond to fires and rescues without having the appropriate equipment. To increase safety and effectiveness, they set a goal of acquiring and outfitting an all-terrain firefighting/rescue vehicle. With contributions from other sources the Company acquired and set up an all-terrain vehicle with trailer. They still needed an attached skid unit to complete the project, which they acquired with an FSF grant.
Oakland/Mapleville Fire Department, Oakland, Rhode Island - $3,000 for
 Carbon Monoxide and Multigas Detectors
The all-volunteer Oakland/Mapleville Fire Department, serves a community located in a densely populated  section of Rhode Island.  They couldn't afford gas detection equipment. In responding to emergencies, they had to wait until the equipment arrived from several miles away to find out if first responders would be exposed to toxic gases or if there was danger of an explosion. They also needed equipment to monitor carbon monoxide blood levels of  first responders and emergency victims in time to prevent serious injury. Now, using the FSF grant, the FD can purchase equipment to reduce these dangers and increase firefighter, EMS, and community safety.
Webster Fire District #7, Minden, Louisiana - $2,700 for Multigas Detectors
Webster FD7 serves a 70 square mile area in rural Louisiana, and like nearly all departments it is short on funds for needed equipment, including most critically, equipment and instruments that directly keep firefighters safe from injury. This FSF grant allowed the district to purchase three multigas detectors for air monitoring at emergency scenes.  Toxic gases such as hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide, join combustible gases among the most common and insidious. threats that firefighters face
Louisville Fire Department, Louisville, Mississippi - $3,500 for
Wildland Nozzles and Hose
Louisville is as rural community in central Mississippi with concentrated agricultural and lumber industries. Wildland fires are not an unusual occurrence there, yet like many rural communities, funds are in very short supply--even the basics like appropriate nozzles and hoses for fighting these fires. This FSF grant helped Louisville FD to keep a baseline capability for aiding its citizens during these events.
Atwood Hose Fire Company, Wauregan, Connecticut - $2,800 for a Stryker Chair
The Atwood Fire Hose Company is an all-volunteer organization providing fire and EMS support within the Village of Wauregan. The residences in the village are mainly older multi-story homes with narrow corridors and staircases. This FSF grant enables the company to purchase a piece of equipment that will considerably reduce injuries to personnel carrying patients in these confines.
Wheelwright, Kentucky Volunteer Fire Department - $2,200 for Rescue Tools and
Gas Monitors
The members of the Wheelwright VFD were running into entanglement hazards with all the new information technology cables and wires run through attics and other spaces, and needed rescue tools to sever them if encountered. Kentucky is also home to some of the worst illegal methamphetamine labs in the country, and responses to these labs represent a very serious hazard to firefighters. The gas monitors that they were able to buy with this FSF grant will help to keep the men and women of the Wheelwright VFD safe on these calls. In this picture, Chief Scotty Ray is showing Firefighter Jeff Craft how to use the new gas detection units.
Township Fire Department, Eau Claire, Wisconsin - $4,000 for
Carbon Monoxide Pulse Oximetry Meters
Township FD is an all-volunteer rural department with 112 active members.  Located about 90 miles east of the twin cities, the department is putting a focus on firefighter rehabilitation.  They needed two CO Pulse Oximetry meters in order to keep their firefighters safe at fire scenes.  With this FSF grant, they were able to afford them.
Pine Level, Alabama Volunteer Fire Department - $3,500 for
Gas Monitors and Calibrator
Pine Level is an unincorporated community situated as a northern suburb of Montgomery, in one of the fastest growing counties in Alabama. The growth in Pine Level is outpacing their funding, and the FD's calls for service has doubled in the last several years. The fire department very much needed two gas monitors and calibration equipment. With this grant from FSF, they were able to acquire them.
Allendale, Illinois Rural Fire Protection District - $3,500 for Ruggedized Laptop
Allendale is a small town in southeast Illinois. Like any fire department, they need the ability to computerize building information, structure fire plans, HAZMAT incident protocols, and other planning information relevant to their jurisdiction. It is impossible for a fire department to effectively perform their central functions without such equipment.
ARFPD was short the funds for a ruggedized laptop and asked FSF for assistance. FSF was glad to help. Here the ruggedized laptop is shown installed and ready for duty.
Morristown Fire Department, Arizona - $1,700 for Class A Foam
Morristown is a community of 5,000 in south central Arizona. They needed, but had trouble affording, Class A foam in order to be prepared for the inevitable wildland fires in their area. Ironically, it is the large amounts of recent rainfall that have made the problem more severe, since the rain has caused tremendous plant growth. Class A foam is used to enhance the effectiveness of water in fire fighting and thus increases fire fighter safety.
Hargetts Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department, North Carolina - $3,000 for
Training Laptop, Projector, and TV
Hargetts Crossroads is a small town in eastern north Carolina.  Like many small communities, they are cash-strapped and what government grants were available for the fire department were used on actual fire fighting equipment.  Yet training for firefighters is both a critical safety need and one that's mandated.  With this FSF grant, the Hargetts Crossroads VFD will be able to make use of current training materials and effectively increase firefighter safety.
Roscoe-Rockland Fire District, New York - $4,950 for Interior Fire Bail-Out Systems
The Roscoe-Rockland Volunteer Fire Department is a rural district in the Catskill Mountains that responds to more than its fair share of emergencies. As a result of comprehensive risk assessment, the fire department identified the need for bail-out systems for interior firefighters as a pressing need.  Indeed, New York has a requirement for fire departments to provide such equipment to firefighters.
Because of the weak economy, and the pressures on municipal budgets, the fire department was unable to afford these critical safety items on their own.  With FSF assistance, they are now in addressing the state's requirement and their firefighters are safer when fighting interior fires.
Downriver Volunteer Fire Department, Downriver, California - $4,800 for Turnout Gear
The Downriver Volunteer Fire Department is located in far northern California and serves four communities along the Trinity River, with a total service area of 70 square miles. They rely almost entirely on donations to fund their department. Their turnout gear was old and no longer met current standards, and needed to be replaced. With FSF's help, they were able to outfit several of their firefighters.
Scotts Hill Volunteer FD, Scotts Hill, Tennessee - $4500 for  Bullard Thermal Imager
The Scotts Hill, TN Volunteer Fire Department serves 3.3 square miles of rural land in the southwestern part of the state. Many times they've had to return to a fire they thought was a completely extinguished fire because it had rekindled. For this reason, and for the firefighter safety benefits provided by a thermal imager, FSF was glad to provide the funds to purchase this equipment.
Greenfield Fire Department, Greenfield, Massachusetts - $5,400 for CO-Oximeter
A CO-Oximeter measures the level of carbon monoxide in a firefighter's blood. This vital piece of equipment allows on-scene fire officers to determine if a firefighter has been exposed to dangerous amounts of this deadly gas. It is also a critical piece of equipment when EMTs respond to a medical call where carbon monoxide exposure is a factor. The Greenfield Fire department serves the county seat of the most rural county in the state, and is often called upon to assist at major fires throughout the region. They needed a CO-Oximeter and FSF was happy to assist.
Fire Company No. 1, Hampton, New Jersey - $4,000 for Defibrillator Units
Defibrillator units are now commonplace equipment in rescue organizations, but they are expensive. Hampton Fire Company No. 1 hadn't been able to acquire these vital tool and couldn't afford to buy them. With this grant from FSF, they were able to add significant life-saving capability to their trucks.
Maryland Medical Emergency Services Program, Baltimore, Maryland - $5,000 for Radios and Repeaters
The Maryland Emergency Medical Services Program provides EMS support services to the entire state of Maryland. They needed radios and repeaters for their own internal team communications, to communicate with Online Medical Control, and to communicate with other EMS agencies. FSF was glad to help in this effort.
Barnesville Fire Department, Barnesville, Ohio - $2,000 for Presentation Equipment
In order to provide services covering 83 square miles, Barnesville FD's staff includes 40 firefighters and EMTs including one full-time person. The department was unable to take advantage of much of the training material it receives from the Ohio State Fire Academy - much of it critical to their staff's safety - without having the right equipment to train a large group. Their new projector, screen, and presentation computer will also let them use FSF's training in a group format.
Bloomfield Fire Department, Bloomfield, Pennsylvania - $4,000 For
Generator Lights And Emergency Bulbs
This small department in the county seat of Perry County near Harrisburg has to generate its revenue from its Basic Life Support (BLS) services billings and rely on fundraising and grants to meet the rest of its needs. It needed a set of generators and lights for its frequent night time rescues, basic pieces of equipment no agency should be without.
Clarysville Fire Department, Clarysville, Maryland - $5,000 Toward
ATV Rescue Vehicle
Clarysville  is located in Allegheny County in western Maryland,. The fire department needs to respond to many  emergency calls in deeply wooded, rough-terrain areas. They have  frequently had to borrow privately-owned ATVs to reach injured citizens because they did not have a properly equipped ATV of their own. With their own ATV, the fire department can  respond more quickly, and provide enhanced emergency care with greater safety for everyone involved.
Bulloch County Fire Department, Bullock City, Georgia - $5,000 Toward Turn-Out Gear
This 150 person, almost all-volunteer fire department and EMS service serves a county of 68,000. The agency simply could not afford to properly equip all of its personnel with the safest turn-out gear, and our grant helped them in this effort.
North Lakes Fire & Rescue, Caribou, Maine - $3,500 for Extrication Kit
This department has three substations covering three territories in northern Aroostook County, Maine. U.S. Route 161 runs through the area and car accidents are common. The agency needed an extrication strut kit to make auto extrication safe for their firefighters and EMTs.
Canosia Volunteer Fire Department, Duluth, Minnesota - $5,000 for Globe Firefighting Boots
This department serves a township in northeastern Minnesota. They needed to outfit their force with appropriate leather firefighting boots to fight wildland fires, because their rubber structure boots don't work well in that environment. FSF was glad to help.
Douglas County Fire Department #5, Mansfield, Washington - $4,500 Toward
Turn-Out Gear
This all-volunteer fire department has 47 firefighters. Some members had been using out-of-date  and non-compliant gear thus risking their safety. The FSF grant of $4,500 allowed Douglas County FDP to purchase modern turnout gear meeting NFPA requirements.
Mexia Fire Department, Mexia, Texas - $1,000 Toward Children's' Safety Material
The Mexia Fire Department needed funds to purchase fire safety presentation materials for their safety program for the city's children.   (Over 30% of Mexia's population is under the age of 18.) For such a good cause - improving the safety of one of the groups most vulnerable to harm from fire, FSF was only too glad to help.