More than $200,000 awarded to 53 rural emergency response departments in Illinois

SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. — Fifty-three emergency response departments supporting rural communities across Illinois received up to $4,000 — for a total of $202,878 — to fund much needed equipment and technology upgrades.

Through its Fund for Rural America, Compeer Financial awarded a total of 160 Emergency Response Equipment Grants accounting for more than $600,000 to departments across Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The grants are intended to help volunteer fire, rescue and ambulance departments improve their operational efficiency, safety and response times.

Rural volunteer emergency response departments are struggling to service their communities due to fewer volunteer first responders, outdated personal protective equipment, increases in service requests and rising costs for essential equipment.

Grants like these from Compeer are one way departments can continue to serve and protect their local communities.

Due to budget constraints as volunteer departments, they are heavily reliant on public funding, grants, donations and local support to fund needed equipment, gear and training.

“For first responders to give their best, they need to be equipped with the proper tools. We recognize the challenges volunteer emergency response departments face with funding, and we hope these grants help give them the life-saving equipment necessary to effectively respond to critical situations,” said Karen Schieler, manager of corporate giving at Compeer Financial.

This Year

Six themes emerged from applications for this year’s grants:

Communication Equipment: Many rural areas experience cell coverage gaps, making communication difficult especially during multi-department responses when time is critical. Departments requested upgraded radios, pagers and communication systems to ensure reliable communication with dispatch, law enforcement and other emergency departments.

Safety and Protective Gear: Many departments are using PPE, such as helmets, boots, gloves and turnout gear, that no longer meet safety standards. New gear will help ensure the safety and confidence of firefighters, improve operational efficiency and help retain and attract volunteers by providing a safer working environment.

Specialized Rescue Equipment: Rural communities experience rescue scenarios, including grain bin rescues and wildland firefighting, that are different than those in urban areas. Departments requested modern tools like thermal imaging cameras, gas detectors, rescue struts and extrication tools to improve speed, safety and effectiveness in these unique and other emergency situations.

Medical Equipment: Many rural areas experience long ambulance response times. Upgrades to medical equipment like LUCAS devices, vital signs monitors and CO2 detectors were requested to improve patient care and outcomes.

Ventilation and Lighting: Firefighters encounter numerous challenges during calls in rural communities. Departments requested new battery-powered ventilation fans and LED lighting to improve efficiency and safety by reducing smoke damage and improving visibility during operations.

Training Equipment: Much like their PPE, training equipment has become outdated. Departments plan to purchase new training equipment, such as mannequins and simulators, to help them better prepare for various emergency scenarios and improve the skills of both first responders and community members.

Next Year

Since beginning the Emergency Response Equipment Grants in 2018, the Fund for Rural America has provided nearly $5 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 grant will change slightly in 2026 to the Emergency First Responders Grant, accounting for both the needs of the department to service the community and the safety needs of the volunteer first responders.

The grant amount will also increase from the current maximum of $4,000 to a maximum of $7,500. Applications will open April 15 and close May 31.

Departments that have not received a grant the prior two years will be eligible to apply for two new grant areas:

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 PPE.

Recipients

The 53 departments in Illinois that received an Emergency Response Equipment Grant of up to $4,000 this year include:

• Appleton Fire Station — inflatable rescue boat, SCBA quick-fill kit, hand pump, tow strap assembly, rescue strap and rescue throw bag.

• Atkinson Fire Protection District — thermal imaging camera.

• Bellflower Fire Protection District — mobile radio.

• Big Rock Volunteer Fire Department — gas monitors and CO2 detectors.

• Blackhawk Fire Protection District — fire boots, coats, bunker pants and helmets.

• Cedarville Fire Protection District — air cylinders, fill station, control panel and installation.

• Colchester Fire Protection District — drone.

• Crete Township Fire Protection District — mobile radio.

• Creve Coeur Fire Department — fire boots.

• East Dubuque Volunteer Fire Department — rope rescue equipment.

• Ellsworth Fire Protection District — ice rescue suits, throw bag rescue ropes and ice awls.

• Elmwood Fire Department Inc. — intake valve and nozzles.

• Fairbury Fire Department — hose.

• Farmington Community Fire Protection District — gas meter and structural fire gloves.

• German Valley Fire Protection District — UTV slide-in unit for brush and field fires.

• Havana Rural Fire Protection District — field and brush fire gear.

• Hillsdale Fire Protection District — pagers.

• Hooppole Fire Department — deluge gun.

• Hull Kinderhook Fire Protection District — nozzles.

• Industry Fire Protection District — rescue gear for EMTs and radios.

• Kilbourne Fire Protection District — SCBA air bottles.

• Kirkland Community Fire Protection District — nozzles.

• Limestone Township Fire Protection District — vehicle stabilization equipment.

• Lisbon-Seward Fire Protection District — confined space rescue kit.

• Little Mackinaw Fire Protection District — EMT vest.

• Manlius Fire Protection District — vehicle stabilization equipment.

• Marengo Rescue Squad — mini cutter.

• Mendon Fire Protection District — rescue vehicle jacks.

• Milledgeville Fire Protection District — automated external defibrillator, first response blankets and fire vests.

• Monroe Township Fire Protection District — portable suction unit.

• Mount Morris Fire Protection District — portable radios.

• Naplate Fire Department — cut-off saw kit, blade, chainsaw kit and saw kit.

• Nauvoo Fire Protection District — vehicle stabilization equipment.

• Newark Fire Protection District — thermal imaging camera.

• North Park Fire Protection District — nozzles and tips.

• Oglesby Volunteer Ambulance Service — portable radios.

• Oregon Fire Protection District — confined space rescue equipment.

• Randolph Township Fire Protection District — RIT pack and SCBA bottle.

• Roanoke Fire Protection District and Roanoke Ambulance — pagers.

• RSP&E Fire Protection District — air pack batteries and charging stations.

• Saint Anne Fire Protection District — drone.

• Scales Mound Fire Protection District — rescue tripod.

• Schuyler County Ambulance — lifting devices.

• Secor Fire Protection District — grain bin rescue package.

• Seneca Fire Protection and Ambulance District — mobile radio.

• Somonauk Fire Department — SONAR unit.

• Spring Bay Fire Protection District — thermal imaging cameras.

• Sublette Fire Protection District — firefighter coats, pants and hoods.

• Sugar Grove Fire Protection District — self-contained breathing apparatus.

• Thomson Fire Protection District — boots.

• Tri-County Ambulance Service — pagers, portable radios.

• West Brooklyn Fire Protection District — pagers.

• West Point Fire Protection District — two-tone alert.