COLUMBUS — Several area fire departments are among nearly 200 across the state that will receive funding to better equip themselves to protect Ohio communities, the state fire marshal’s office announced Wednesday.

A total of 190 departments across 49 Ohio counties have been awarded $7,997,960 in funding through the first small County Volunteer Fire Department Grant Program, which was created during the 136th General Assembly via House Bill 96.

The nonrenewable grant was established to help the state’s small county fire departments purchase essential equipment, upgrade facilities, and enhance access to firefighting training. Legislation that created the grant defined small counties as those that have a population of 70,000 or fewer per the 2020 U.S. Census.

“These small, volunteer fire departments, many of which serve rural areas of the state, are the backbone of Ohio’s fire service, and the vast majority of them are working with small budgets,” said State Fire Marshal Kevin Reardon. “Thanks to the work of the legislature, this grant funding will better equip these departments to do a job that our communities rely on them to do, and that is to be there if and when an emergency strikes.”

Departments in Jefferson County will receive $214, 067.72. That includes $50,000 for the Belvedere, East Springfield and Irondale volunteer fire departments; $48,500 for the Bergholz Fire Company; and $15,567.72 for the Brilliant Volunteer Fire Department.

Harrison County departments will receive $142,806.20, including $50,000 for the Scio Volunteer Fire Department, $48,477 for the Bowerston Volunteer Fire Department, $26,000 for the Freeport Community Volunteer Fire Department and $19,329.20 for the Harrisville Volunteer Fire Company.

And, in Belmont County, departments will receive $275,237.89, including $49,965 for the Bridgeport Volunteer Fire Department, $48,897 for the Brookside Volunteer Fire Department, $47,745.80 for the Bethesda Fire Department, $47,352.09 for the Barnesville Volunteer Fire Department, $47,178 for the Wolfhurst Center Volunteer Fire Department, $23,500 for the Somerton Volunteer Fire Department and $10,500 for the Martins Ferry Fire Department.

Approximately 70 percent of Ohio’s nearly 1,200 fire departments rely on volunteers, but the number of volunteers is dropping sharply across the state as highlighted in the 2023 Governor’s Volunteer Fire Service Task Force report. From 2018 to 2021, there was a 6.5 percent decrease in the number of volunteer firefighters, meanwhile there was a 9 percent increase in calls from 2018 to 2020.

The Small County Volunteer Fire Department Grant program is the latest in a series of initiatives established to support the state’s volunteer fire service at this critical time. Previous actions by the Division of State Fire Marshal include making all training and classes at the Ohio Fire Academy available free of charge for volunteers and volunteer departments; the development of a new volunteer recruitment portal where Ohioans can search for volunteer roles near them and connect directly with department leadership; and the deployment of multiple statewide media campaigns that resulted in an increase in volunteer inquiries.

In addition to this grant, the Division of State Fire Marshal provides millions in grant funding annually to the state’s fire departments through various other grant programs like the MARCS grant, equipment grant and training and reimbursement grant.