Northwest Iowa – Five fire departments in our 4-county area are among 138 rural fire departments across Iowa that were recently awarded federal grants for specialized equipment to fight wildfires. DNR forestry fire supervisor Jason Walker says Iowa fire departments are normally set up to fight structure fires in burning homes or commercial buildings.
The gear for wildfires is specialized for the challenges they provide.
Walker says the grants are a good way to help departments be prepared for anything.
He says Iowa wildfires aren’t like the ones you might see on TV in California where they consume, forests, homes and anything in their path. But they are still a concern.
Walker says we saw one of the busier wildfire seasons in Iowa this year.
The volunteer Fire departments in our area receiving grants were: Granville, Hawarden, Larchwood, Orange City, and Sibley.
