Ela Township Awards Grant To LZ Fire Explorers

The recently received a grant of $2,000 from to help fund the program, now in its ninth year. 

The Fire Explorers program, which branched off from the Lake Zurich Police Explorers in 2004, provides hands-on training and a true-to-life perspective on what it takes to be a firefighter for young people ages 14 to 21.

The program has experienced substantial cuts in funding due to budget constraints and other priorities within the fire department, said Lt. Jeff Grant, program coordinator.

The budget for the program comes directly out of the budget provided to the by the .

“I was overwhelmed and very appreciate of the assistance that Ela Township gave to us,” said Grant. “I hope it’s the start of a new relationship — regardless of the funds we received — to create additional opportunities for the kids to volunteer in their community.”

The Lake Zurich Fire Explorers will be volunteering at the upcoming Electronics Recycling event sponsored by Ela Township on Sept. 17 at Knox Park, and helping with a number of smaller projects at the in the coming months.

Grant said one of his main goals is to begin to upgrade equipment used for Explorer training, which is held on the first and third Monday nights of each month at Fire Station No. 1, 321 S. Buesching Road.

“All of the gear our Explorers use is hand-me-down firefighting gear; for example, a large amount of helmets are broken or damaged, and one of my first goals is to begin to replace those that are no longer usable,” Grant said.

The Lake Zurich Explorer Post No. 343 is named in honor of the 343 firefighters who died as during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. 

The program provides a leg-up for future firefighters, nurses and other first responders when they embark on their careers. The program simply can provide a positive activity that helps to build self-confidence in young people.

At the upcoming Lake Zurich Fire Department Open House at Fire Station No. 1 on Oct. 9, the Explorers will have a table set up to sell Christmas wreaths to help raise money for their program to continue.

For more information, contact Lt. Jeff Grant at 1-847-540-5080 or email him at Jeffrey.grant@volz.org.