Hull-Kinderhook Fire Department Receives One-Time OSFM COVID Relief Grant

By Benjamin Cox on October 7, 2021 at 5:52pm

A Pike County volunteer fire department has received a one-time grant from the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshall.

The Hull-Kinderhook Fire Department received $7,600 as one of 35 other recipients of the one-time COVID-19 Relief Grant.

A total of $316,000 worth of awards were announced yesterday. Under this one-time grant opportunity, eligible Illinois fire departments could receive up to $15,000 in order to make up for lost donation revenues stemming from their inability to host local fundraising events during the periods of quarantines last year.

The fundraising efforts are often used to pay for fuel for fire trucks, utilities, and insurance among other miscellaneous costs.

The OSFM collaborated with the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association (IFCA) who helped assemble a special committee to review the grant applications utilizing a blind review needs-based analysis.

The grants were financed through the Illinois Fire Prevention Fund, a non-general revenue fund that is supported primarily by a 1% assessment of the gross fire risk premium receipts of all insurance companies operating in the state.