The State Fire Marshal made a stop in Southern Illinois to recognize some local fire departments and give some much needed funding.
The Illinois Fire Department COVID-19 Relief Grant spread $316,000 dollars between 36 Illinois fire departments.
Fire departments with a budget less than $150,000 qualified for a grant.
In Southern Illinois eight fire departments received grants of up to fifteen thousand dollars.
State Fire Marshall Matt Perez says the grants match what the departments lost from not being to hold their regular fundraisers.
“When I found out how hard they had it, how hard they worked, and a lot of times we're not even getting paid. My heart went out. I just wanted to do everything I could to help them and get them resources they needed, so it feels great to be able to come and meet with firefighters here and have a big check to give to them.”
In Illinois seventy percent of fire service is rural or volunteer.
