Five local fire districts win state grants for additional summer help

Five fire districts in Lincoln County were among the 191 fire agencies notified this week that they won grants to bring on additional firefighters or increase on-duty hours during the summer fire season

The statewide grants totaled $6 million. Local districts receiving the grants were:

• Central Oregon Coast Fire & Rescue, $35,000;
• Yachats Rural Fire Protection District, $35,000;
• Seal Rock Rural Fire Protection District, $35,000;
• Depoe Bay Rural Fire Protection District, $27,597; and
• North Lincoln Fire & Rescue District 1 – $35,000.

The state’s wildfire season staffing grant program is in its third year. Local agencies in the Oregon structural fire service were eligible to apply for up to $35,000.

In a news release announcing the grants, the state fire marshal’s office said the 2023 program was integral to the success in protecting communities, adding more than 1,500 paid firefighters and allowed agencies to attack fires and keep them small and away from communities.