Community Wildfire Assistance

Volunteer Fire Assistance Grants

Funds are available for Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) grants to fire suppression organizations in communities of less than 10,000 in population. The Division of Forests & Lands receives funding from the United States Forest Service for the VFA Grant Program. This is a 50/50 grant that allows the community to purchase approved wildfire equipment and seek reimbursement up to their awarded grant amount.

Grant applications are sent to Forest Fire Wardens and Fire Chiefs each November and have a submission deadline of February 1st.  Communities are notified in March and have until April 15th to submit their completed award packet.  All grant projects and close out paperwork must be completed and submitted by December 31st.

• In 2023, 43 communities received $65,313.63
• In 2022, 46 communities received $85,795.49
• In 2021, 33 communities received $41,300.26
• In 2020, 29 communities received $39,799.97

Items purchased by communities through this grant include: forestry hose, hose bags, fireline packs, headlamps, hard hats, foam nozzles, hose clamps, backpack leaf blowers, wildland shirts, gloves, backpack pumps, handtools, high pressure pumps, foot valves, suction hose, ball check valves, hand primers, wildland pants, goggles, chainsaws, UTV skid units, GPS units, mop-up kits and more

Federal Excess Property Program

The Division of Forests & Lands is the state coordinator for two national programs available to towns and cities which provide an opportunity to acquire firefighting equipment at no cost.

They are the Federal Excess Personal Property (FEPP) program and Firefighter Property Program (FFP). Both programs operated by the Federal government offer practically any type of equipment, vehicles and apparatus required in wildland firefighting and prevention efforts. A written agreement between the town and the state is required and the state will register the federally owned equipment. The only cost for acquisition is the transportation of the item to the town or city. Transportation costs can be reduced if the town or city is able to arrange retrieval of the item using their own personnel.

The primary difference between the two programs is that with the FFP program, after the item acquired has been in service for 1 year, the ownership of that item is transferred to the town or city. With the FEPP program, the item remains the property of the Federal government. When the item is no longer serviceable or needed by the town, it must be returned to the State for potential reuse by another agency.

If a town or city is interested in acquiring equipment from either program, it can submit an FFP form or FEPP form Equipment Request Form from the DNCR FFP/FEPP Coordinator.