Dammeron Valley Fire & Rescue (DVFR) has been awarded a grant from the State of Utah Department of Natural Resources for the purchase of critical wildland firefighting equipment. The wildland grant will allow DVFR to purchase new wildland line packs and compliant radios/communications equipment that are critical to the safety and capabilities of the department’s wildland firefighters.
“The ongoing drought conditions increase the risk for wildland and other brush fires in our district, and we anticipate an ongoing need to deploy our wildland firefighting crews throughout the rest of the season,” said Chet Barnes, fire chief, DVFR. “Ensuring that our crews are adequately equipped to do their jobs safely is our most important mission, and we appreciate the support of the Utah Department of Natural Resources in this effort.”
The wildland grant will provide $7,900 toward the purchase of the approved equipment and is a 50/50 matching grant, meaning DVFR has to match the amount dollar-for-dollar to receive the funds. This match requirement allows for the use of “in-kind” hours at a rate of $28.54 per hour, which means DVFR can use documented volunteer service hours to satisfy the matching requirement. For instance, 100 hours of documented volunteer hours satisfies $2,854 of the matching requirement.
“Our ability to use in-kind hours to satisfy the match requirement allows us to access the funds with no out-of-pocket to the district,” Barnes added. “Our volunteers commit their time and talents to the department to keep our communities safe, and it’s great that the hours they put in can also have a meaningful financial impact.”
Barnes finished, “We are also fortunate to have a volunteer Grants Committee that identifies and secures these opportunities for our department. Our ability to continue to fund DVFR’s needs through cooperative and partner sources is critical to our ability to provide the highest level of care and response with the least financial impact to the residents of Dammeron Valley.”
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