Three Lincoln Co. fire companies receive Town Pump grants

The Town Pump Charitable Foundation has provided grants totaling nearly $1.2 million to 81 volunteer firefighting groups across Montana this summer, including three serving the Libby area.

The total was about $425,000 more than the Foundation originally planned to provide, but following overwhelming response to the grant offer, the Foundation increased its grant budget. 

The grants will be used for a variety of life-saving equipment, including turnouts (fire-safety suits), SCBAs (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus), rescue equipment, pumps, and automated external defibrillators and training.

In the Libby area, the Libby Volunteer Fire Department received $20,000 for personal protection equipment (PPE), the Fisher River Valley Fire Rescue received $20,000 for a Lucas CPR kit and the Troy Volunteer Fire Department received $20,000 a live-burn training facility.

"We appreciate the commitment of volunteer firefighters across Montana,” said Bill McGladdery, director of corporate communications for Town Pump. “Their needs for personal protective equipment, SCBAs, training resources and other equipment were greater than what we had originally forecasted. We hope that these grant funds to volunteer fire departments will help strengthen our Montana communities.”