Illinois rural emergency response departments receive grants topping $330,000

SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. — To ensure volunteer emergency response departments are equipped with technology and tools to effectively respond to rural emergencies, Compeer Financial awarded 48 departments in Illinois grants totaling $330,982.

An additional 98 departments in Minnesota and Wisconsin received $684,216.

The Emergency First Responder Grants provide rural first responders with critical equipment that improves lifesaving capabilities, protects volunteer responders, strengthens regional emergency preparedness and enhances the safety and resilience of the communities they serve.

Responding to rural crises is becoming increasingly difficult, as departments are faced with limited funding, larger coverage areas, population demographic challenges and dated communication infrastructure.

As a rural-based business, Compeer Financial understands the strain volunteer emergency response departments are under.

“As rural residents ourselves, we want to ensure our first responders are prepared to answer emergency calls. The Emergency First Responder Grants support our vision of creating a world where agriculture and rural communities are dynamic, collaborative and thriving,” said Karen Schieler, manager of Compeer Giving at Compeer Financial.

“We’re proud to award these grants that provide first responders with important equipment, personal protective gear and technology and enhance their ability to respond to crisis situations.”

Departments will use this year’s grants to support the following capabilities:

• Improve response times and emergency care. In rural areas where transport times are often longer, having lifesaving equipment in the hands of first responders can mean earlier intervention and better patient outcomes. Many departments are using grant funds for automated external defibrillators, cardiac monitors, radios, pagers and advanced emergency medical services equipment.

• Strengthen firefighter and responder safety. Due to funding constraints, emergency response departments often have to choose between upgrading tools and equipment or updating safety gear. A significant portion of grant requests focus on replacing outdated turnout gear, helmets, self-contained breathing apparatus equipment, boots, radios and other protective equipment.

• Expand local rescue capabilities and reduce reliance on distant resources. In many rural communities, the nearest specialized rescue team may be 30 to 40 minutes away. Several departments are investing in specialized rescue equipment for grain bin rescues, vehicle extrications, confined-space incidents and technical rescues to help ensure life-saving capabilities are available closer to home when every minute matters.

Grants help address the unique needs of rural emergency response departments, including:

• Offset rising equipment costs. Many volunteer and small paid-on-call departments operate on very limited budgets. Grant funding often serves as the catalyst that allows departments to begin critical replacement projects that otherwise would be delayed for years.

• Enable regional emergency response networks. The benefits extend beyond the individual department. Equipment purchased through these grants is often used during mutual aid responses and shared across neighboring jurisdictions to increase interoperability and help multiple communities respond more effectively to large incidents.

• Support the vitality of rural and agricultural communities. Many funded projects directly address risks unique to rural America — grain bin rescues, farm accidents, wildland fires, water supply challenges and long EMS response distances. By strengthening emergency response capacity, the grants help protect farmers, agricultural workers, businesses, residents and the local economies that depend on them.

Since beginning the Emergency Response Grants in 2018, Compeer Giving has provided more than $5.75 million in grants to equip volunteer first responders with the equipment and tools needed to aid rural residents across Compeer’s 144-county territory.

The Emergency First Responder Grants account for both the needs of the department to service the community and the safety needs of the volunteer first responders:

• Essential Response Equipment: This encompasses equipment needed to effectively respond to incidents. Examples of equipment include hand and extraction tools, fire suppression tools, fire response and medical equipment.

• Responder Life-Safety Need: This includes equipment and resources needed to protect and support first responders. Examples include communication equipment and personal protective equipment.

Compeer Giving intends to offer the Emergency First Responder Grants again in 2027.

The 48 departments in Illinois that received an Emergency First Responder Grant of up to $7,500 this year include:

• Alexis-North Henderson Ambulance Service — cardiac monitor and defibrillator.

• Alexis Fire Protection District — portable radios with attached microphones.

• Annawan Alba Fire Protection District — turnout gear.

• AOW Ambulance Service Inc. NFP — radios with microphones.

• Aroma Fire Protection District — banana boat, clutch rope rescue tools, 4:1 system and Sked stretcher with vertical lift and drag capabilities.

• Beecher Fire Protection District — portable radio.

• Boone County Fire Protection District 2 — thermal imaging cameras.

• Bureau Fire Protection District — TurboDraft Fire Eductor, suction elbow swivel, supply line holders and hose.

• Cambridge Fire Protection District — video intubation laryngoscopy system.

• Carlock Fire Protection District — communication headset.

• Chatsworth Fire Protection District — rescue rotary saw, diamond blade and thermal camera.

• Cherry Fire Protection District — nozzles and pagers.

• City of Griggsville Fire Department — extrication equipment.

• Dahinda Fire Station 2/Williamsfield Fire Protection District — automated external defibrillator, quickdraw suction, folding backboard, BP monitor and pulse ox SpO2 with SpCO monitoring.

• Deer Creek Fire Protection District — turnout coats, bunker pants, gloves and helmets.

• DePue Fire Department — water flow device.

• Dunlap Community Fire Protection District — gas monitors.

• East Pike Fire Protection District — sections of life safety rope with bag, snatch blocks, stokes basket, harnesses, rappel duffle bags and rappel auto stop devices.

• Eastern Marshall County EMS — manual stair chair.

• Easton Rural Fire Protection District — particulate-blocking hoods, one set of bunker gear and LED lights.

• Emmet-Chalmers Fire Protection District/Emmet Chalmers Firefighters Association — boots.

• Erie Fire Protection District — set of airbags.

• Flanagan-Graymont Fire Department — battery-powered RAM auto extrication tool.

• Forrest-Strawn-Wing Fire Protection District — vehicle stabilization struts.

• Germantown Hills Fire Protection District — battery-powered positive pressure ventilation fan.

• Gridley Fire Department — gas monitors, mobile radio and laptop or tablets.

• Henry Fire Protection District — SCBA bottles.

• Hinckley Community Fire Protection District — multi-gas detection meters.

• Joy Community Fire Protection District — helmets.

• Lacon-Sparland Fire Protection District — grain bin rescue equipment and associated rescue gear.

• Lee Community Fire Protection District — nozzles.

• Leland Community Fire Protection District — fire-nozzle setups.

• LeRoy Emergency Ambulance Service Inc. — pagers.

• Long Point Fire Department — hose, nozzles and thermal imaging cameras.

• Malta Fire Department — hoods and gloves.

• Maple Park & Countryside Fire Protection District — radios.

• Minonk Fire Protection District — turnout coats, turnout pants and leather structural fire boots.

• Morrison Fire Department — thermal imaging camera and hand tools.

• Mount Carroll Fire Department — battery-powered extrication tools.

• Payson Fall-Creek Fire Protection District — extrication tools including cutter, spreader, batteries and charger.

• Rushville Fire Department — AEDs and adult and child electrode pads.

• Sheridan Community Fire Protection District — portable deluge monitor.

• Spring Creek Fire Protection District — structural firefighting protective gear.

• Tonica Volunteer Fire Department — heavy rescue telescoping ram.

• Tremont 702 Rescue Squad — radio and rain jackets.

• Tri-Township Fire Protection District — rescue chain packages, rescue litter, lifting bridle, patient tie-in kit and clutch descender.

• Verona-Kinsman Fire Department — nozzles.

• ​​​​​​​West Peoria Fire Department — rescue-stabilization equipment.