Illinois American Water Awards over $88,000 in Firefighter Grants

Over $88,000 will be shared by 90 Illinois fire departments through Illinois American Water’s 2019 Firefighter Grant Program. Since the program was created in 2010, over 590 grants totaling over $582,000 have been awarded to fire and emergency organizations serving customers in Illinois American Water’s service area.

“We know the critical role water plays in protecting homes and businesses; we also know resources for our local heroes often run short. The Illinois American Water firefighter grant program was created to help bridge the gap and support our local firefighters,” 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.

The grants are being announced in conjunction with National Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 6 – 12, 2019, to raise awareness about the importance of fire prevention and emergency planning. This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme is “Not Every Hero Wears a Cape. Plan and Practice Your Escape!” It educates about the importance of learning and practicing a home fire escape plan. Learn more at http://www.nfpa.org/public-education/campaigns/fire-prevention-week.

Illinois American Water is providing firefighting grants to the following Illinois fire departments:

Northern Illinois
Des Plaines Fire Department

Elmhurst Fire Department

Elgin Fire Department

Homer Township Fire Protection District

Lemont Fire Protection District

Lisle-Woodridge Fire District
Lombard Fire Department

Mount Prospect Fire Department

Northwest Homer Fire Protection District

Orland Fire Protection District

Oswego Fire Protection District

Plainfield Fire Protection District
Prospect Heights Fire Protection District

Rockton Fire Protection District
Romeoville Fire Department

Warrenville Fire Protection District
South Beloit Fire & Rescue

Sterling Fire Department

Allen Township Fire Protection District
Grand Ridge Volunteer Fire Department

Leonore Volunteer Fire Department

Long Point Community Volunteer Fire Protection District
Streator Fire Department

Central Illinois

Arcola Fire Department

Carroll Fire Protection District
Champaign Fire Department

Eastern Prairie Fire Protection District
Edge-Scott Fire Protection District
Sangamon Valley Fire Protection District (Village of Fisher)
Pesotum Fire Protection District
Sadorus Fire Protection District
Savoy Fire Department

Sidney Fire Protection District
St. Joseph-Stanton Fire Department

Tolono Fire Protection District

Tuscola Fire Department

U of I Willard Airport Fire Department

Urbana Fire Department

Lincoln Fire Department

Lincoln Rural Fire Department

Cincinnati Fire Protection District
City of Pekin Fire Department

North Pekin Fire Department

Bartonville Fire Department

Farmington Fire Protection District
Chillicothe Community Fire Protection District
Limestone Township Fire Protection District
Timber-Hollis Fire Protection District

Logan Trivoli Fire Protection District

Peoria Fire Department
Dunlap Fire Protection District

Washington Fire Department
West Peoria Fire Protection District

Pontiac Fire Department

Saunemin Fire Protection District

Southern Illinois

City of Alton Fire Department

Cottage Hills Fire Protection District
Godfrey Fire Protection District

QEM Fire Protection District
Cairo Fire Department

Belleville Fire Department
Brooklyn Fire Protection District

Cahokia Volunteer Fire Department
Church Road Fire Protection District

Columbia Fire Department

East Side Fire Protection District

East St. Louis Fire Department

Fairmont City Fire Department

Fairview Caseyville Township Fire Protection District
French Village Fire Department

Granite City Fire Department
Hamel Volunteer Fire Department

Holiday Shores Fire Department
Long Lake Fire Department

Madison Fire Department
Mascoutah Fire Department

Midway Fire Protection District

Millstadt Union Fire Department
Mitchell Fire Department

Northwest Fire Protection District
Pocahontas - Old Ripley Fire Department
O’Fallon

Sauget Fire Department

Signal Hill Fire Department

St. Clair Special Emergency Services
Swansea Fire Department

Villa Hills Fire Department
Venice Fire Department

Washington Park Fire Department

Worden Fire Department

In addition to the Firefighter Grant Program, Illinois American Water partners with local firefighters on a daily basis. As a private water utility, the company is required to test and operate every fire hydrant annually. According to Hauk, Illinois American Water maintains over 29,000 fire hydrants across the state.

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 more than 14 million people in 46 states. 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.