JCF AWARDS $200,000 IN GRANTS TO LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS
May 19, 2021
The students of the Josephine County Foundation (JCF), a local student-led 501c3 non-profit, are pleased to announce that Project SAFE (Students Acquiring Firefighter Equipment) is awarding $200,000 in grants to seven small and mostly rural volunteer fire agencies in Josephine and Jackson Counties, Oregon. These grants provide equipment to help keep our firefighters and communities safe during fires, medical, and rescue emergencies. This year the grants focus on equipment needed for fighting wildfires.
These grants were made possible by $100,000 being raised in the community by JCF students and our fire departments. The total raised was matched dollar-for-dollar by an anonymous donor who is donating $500,000 ($100,000 year), if the community can match that amount. Our fire departments raised $65,000 in their local service areas and the students raised $35,000 from the following donors: Arthur R. Dubs Foundation, Chaney Family Foundation, Pacific Power, and West Family Foundation.
“This is year 3 of Project SAFE (Students Acquiring Firefighter Equipment) to help keep our firefighters safe and to provide superior fire, medical, and rescue services to citizens of our two-county region,” said Bree Saunders, JCF Student Executive Vice President. “Our goal is to raise $1 million, including the $500,000 match, so our region is prepared and does not have to experience wildfires like the Almeda, Oberchain, and Slater Fires last September, with the loss of thousands of homes, our valuable wilderness areas, and skies filled with unhealthy smoke”, said Saunders.
The fire agencies receiving 2021 JCF Fire SAFE grants include:
- Applegate Valley RFPD #9
- Illinois Valley Fire District
- Jacksonville City Fire Department
- Lake Creek Rural Fire District
- Prospect RFPD
- Williams RFPD
- Wolf Creek RFPD
RFPD stands for Rural Fire Protection District
2021 Fire Dept. Grants
