State Fire Marshal awards eight Meigs fire departments training grants

MEIGS COUNTY, Ohio – Eight of Meigs County’s fire departments have been awarded reimbursement grants for training from the state.

According to a statement from State Fire Marshal Larry L. Flowers, the awardees for the Fire Department Training Reimbursement Grants for calendar year 2016, which includes 212 fire departments in 75 counties throughout the state totaling over $450,000 have been awarded.

Of the $450,000 awarded across the state, Meigs County received a total of $8,490. Meigs County fire departments receiving the grant are: Chester, $450; Middleport, $1,350; Pomeroy, $1,350; Racine, $1,350; Rutland, $900; Syracuse, $1,350; Tuppers Plains, $1,290; and Columbia Township, $450.

Locally, Meigs County firefighters are volunteer, sacrificing time with their families or even taking time off work to train to fight fires and handle car crashes, among other things. While all firefighters, career or volunteer, are required to have the same level of basic training for state certification, this grant helps fire departments go beyond the basics to complete more advanced, nationally recognized training.

“These communities now have more firefighters trained at a higher level that will better equip everyone to go home safely at the end of the emergency call or shift,” Marshal Flowers said. “With approximately 70 percent of Ohio’s fire departments staffed by volunteers, this grant really makes a difference for the departments with limited budgets.”

The fire departments were selected based on a variety of criteria, including the fire department’s annual budget, annual number of fire incidents and the resident population served by the fire department.