Grant to Fund Water Rescue Dry Suit for Elgin Fire Department

The Elgin Fire Department will be utilizing a $1000 grant to purchase a water rescue dry suit, thanks to a grant from Illinois American Water (IAW).

The IAW 2018 Firefighter Grant Program provides financial assistance to fire and emergency organizations serving communities in its service areas. In 2018, approximately $77,000 were awarded to 78 Illinois fire departments. Since the program was created in 2010, over 500 grants totaling over $493,000 has been awarded to fire and emergency organizations serving customers in Illinois American Water’s service area.

“We are proud to partner with our local firefighters. Illinois American Water tests and operates every fire hydrant annually. We also maintain all of the hydrants, over 29,000 across the state, in our service areas. We know the critical role water plays in protecting homes and businesses and we also know resources for our local heroes often runs short. Through this grant program, we are able to partner on another level and further support our local heroes,” said Bruce Hauk, Illinois American Water President.

Illinois American Water’s Firefighter Grant Program awards grants to provide personal protective gear, communications equipment, firefighting tools, water handling equipment, training materials and classroom programs.

Fire Chief David A. Schmidt thanked Illinois American Water during the check presentation. “On behalf of the Elgin Fire Department and the residents of Elgin, I would like to thank Illinois American Water for awarding us another grant from your Firefighters Grant Program,” stated Schmidt.

“The funding from this grant will allow our Water Rescue Team the ability to purchase much needed Dry suit equipment to enable team members to perform water rescue and recovery operations. This equipment will provide our members with a greater degree of personal safety. We are incredibly grateful for your grant program and for the opportunities they provide to purchase tools and equipment,” added Schmidt.

Caption for the Photo: (Left to Right) Josh Soderberg, Firefighter; David Schmidt, Fire Chief; Tom Harrell, Illinois American Water; Robb Cagann, Assistant Chief; Brian Kick, Lieutenant; and Natalee Cedillo, Illinois American Water.

About Illinois American Water – Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville.

With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly-traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,100 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to over 14 million people in 45 states and Ontario, Canada. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.