Meigs County fire departments receive MARCS Grant
Meigs County fire departments receive MARCS grant
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Fire departments in Meigs County have been awarded grant funding to help with communication needs.
The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of State Fire Marshal announced the recipients of the 2023 MARCS (Multi-Agency Radio Communications Systems) grant, which totals $3.5 million awarded to 325 fire departments in 76 counties throughout Ohio. This cycle, the State Fire Marshal received more than $7.7 million in requests for the $3.5 million in total available funding.
“This is a highly-competitive selection process, so our emphasis has been on growing the MARCS program with the goal that one day every department in Ohio is on this communication system,” said State Fire Marshal Kevin S. Reardon. “Having first responders with these state-of-the-art radios improves emergency services for these counties, which increases the level of safety for the communities they protect.”
Meigs County fire departments that received the 2023 Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office MARCS grant are Pomeroy, Racine, Syracuse, Bashan, Tuppers Plains, Middleport and Columbia Township. Meigs County departments were awarded a total $26,305 worth of the $3.5 million in total available funding.
The MARCS radio system allows first responders to seamlessly communicate, not only with each other, but with other agencies responding to an incident. MARCS radio system technology is advanced and the costs to acquire and operate can be significant.
Priority funding goes to departments applying as part of a regional or county-wide effort, as well as departments that show they are prepared to immediately begin using the MARCS radios upon receiving the award. The MARCS Grant is available from the Fire Marshall’s office, for fire departments that serve 25,000 or less. The money can be used to purchase the systems, equipment, and/or services that are a part of, integrated into, or otherwise interoperable with the Multi-Agency Radio Communication System (MARCS) operated by the State of Ohio with respect to providing fire protection services. Up to $50,000 per department is available through this grant.
The break down of the awards for Meigs County are:
- Middleport Fire Department $21,745.00
- Pomeroy Fire Department $1,080.00
- Racine Volunteer Fire Department $720.00
- Syracuse Volunteer Fire Department $1,080.00
- Tuppers Plains Fire Department $360.00
- Bashan Volunteer Fire Department $240.00
- Columbia TWP Volunteer Fire Department$1,080.00
The complete list of the 325 fire departments in 76 Ohio counties receiving MARCS Grants funding is available on the State Fire Marshal website.
