COLUMBIA, Mo. – Since 2020, the MFA Incorporated Charitable Foundation has teamed with University of Missouri Extension’s Fire and Rescue Training Institute to award MFA Volunteer Fire Grants to train and equip rural fire departments throughout the state.

“Grant funding for rural fire departments is essential because these departments often operate with limited budgets while protecting vast areas,” says Harry Ward, director of the MU Fire and Rescue Training Institute (FRTI). “Investing in these departments enhances public safety, reduces property loss and ensures that rural communities receive the same level of fire protection as urban areas.”

MU FRTI, which provides comprehensive continuing professional education training to Missouri’s fire service and emergency response personnel, administers the grant program on behalf of MFA Incorporated.

MFA recently pledged to support MFA Foundation Fire Grants for another five years, notes Rachel Augustine, MU Extension senior director of advancement.

“We are proud to support our rural communities through initiatives like the MFA Volunteer Fire Grants,” said Jason Weirich, MFA Inc. executive vice president of operations. “These grants enable small rural fire departments to purchase essential equipment and improve their capabilities. We are honored to play a role in enhancing their safety and well-being.”

This year, the program has awarded 28 grants totaling $50,000. Since the program’s inception, Missouri fire departments have received $236,000 in grants.

Chief Javi Gil of the Rutledge Community Fire Department notes that grants can be a vital lifeline for small rural fire departments, which are often not tax-supported and have to rely on fire dues, fundraisers and donations of money and equipment. “Although our town is small, we respond to many calls each year,” Gil said. Through mutual aid agreements, his department also responds to calls when needed in neighboring communities in Scotland County and in the 3,974-acre Indian Hills Conservation Area. “We run our department with a very small budget that is used to pay for insurance, repairs and small upgrades to our equipment.” A 2023 MFA Volunteer Fire Grant for $2,000 enabled the department to purchase radios and some well-needed tools, he said.

The Fredericktown Fire Department purchased three thermal imaging cameras, which are used in search and rescue operations to find hidden hot spots in walls or debris piles and to allow firefighters to see their way out of hazardous environments.

Sedgewickville Fire Protection District replaced old ladders. “The ladders we have, we don’t even know the age of them. They have been with the department for years,” said Dana Craft, assistant chief of the Sedgewickville Fire Protection District. The department purchased two attic ladders, two roof ladders and two extension ladders.

The Wheaton Fire Protection District used grant funding to purchase 13 sections of fire hose and hard suction hose, one tower light and two battery packs.

The Sac-Osage Fire Protection District in Osceola purchased laundry equipment for washing firefighter gear. Volunteers no longer have to take gear home to wash it, potentially bringing carcinogens and other hazardous materials into their homes. The facility is available to volunteers from every fire department in St. Clair County.

MFA Volunteer Fire Grants, which range from $500 to $2,000, are awarded to help train and equip Missouri fire departments for the purpose of saving lives and protecting property.  Grants are distributed within Missouri’s nine fire mutual aid regions, with the intention to award at least one per region. Eligible fire departments must be currently registered with the Office of the State Fire Marshall.

For more information, visit http://muext.us/MFAgrants.

Photos

https://extension.missouri.edu/sites/default/files/legacy_media/wysiwyg/News/photos/20250327-mfa-grants-1.jpg
Among the recipients in the latest round of MFA Volunteer Fire Grants was the Slater Volunteer Fire Department, which received a $2,000 award for radios. Tedd Wiseman, second from right, is captain of the department. Jason Weirich, right, MFA Inc. executive vice president of operations, presented the checks Feb. 7 at the FRTI Winter Fire School in Columbia. Other members present, from left: Brenda Williams, Lawton Johnson, Casey Bryson and Todd Jenkins, chief. Photo courtesy of MFA Inc.

https://extension.missouri.edu/sites/default/files/legacy_media/wysiwyg/News/photos/20250327-mfa-grants-2.jpg
A member of the Fredericktown Fire Department uses a thermal imaging camera. Through a 2023 MFA Volunteer Fire Grant, the department was able to purchase three thermal imaging cameras, which are used in search and rescue operations to locate hidden hot spots in walls or debris piles and help firefighters find their way out of hazardous environments. Photo courtesy of the Fredericktown (Mo.) Fire Department.

MFA Volunteer Fire Grant winners

2024 MFA Volunteer Fire Grants were presented Feb. 7, 2025, in Columbia.

• Alton Volunteer Fire Department
• Baring Volunteer Fire Department
• Brixey & Rockbridge Fire Department
• Bucklin Volunteer Fire Department
• Buffalo Rural Fire Department
• Callao Fire Protection District
• Caufield Membership Fire Department
• Cedar Creek Fire Protection District
• DeKalb Fire Protection District
• Dixon Rural Fire Protection District
• East Lynne-Gunn City Fire Protection District
• Fairfax Fire Protection District
• Long Lane Volunteer Fire Department
• Louisiana Fire Department
• Martinsburg Fire Protection District
• Montauk Rural Fire Department
• Osborn Fire Protection District
• Portageville Fire Department
• Quin Fire Protection District
• Shelby Community Fire Department
• Slater Volunteer Fire Department
• Tunas Fire Department
• Tuscumbia Fire Protection District
• Tyrone Rural Volunteer Fire Department
• Urbana Rural Fire Department
• Urich Volunteer Fire Department
• Washburn Volunteer Fire Department
• Zell Volunteer Fire Department