Illinois American Water awards Firefighter Grants to local departments

[October 07, 2015]  LINCOLN - Illinois American Water has announced that two local fire departments, the city of Lincoln Fire Department and Lincoln Rural Fire Protection District, have been awarded grants.

The dollars awarded may be used by the departments as they deem necessary for any of the following: personal protective gear, communications equipment, firefighting tools, water handling equipment, training materials and classroom programs.

Approximately $49,600 is being awarded to 62 fire departments through Illinois American Water’s 2015 Firefighter Grant Program. The program was created in 2010 to provide financial assistance to fire and emergency organizations serving customers in Illinois American Water’s service area. Since creation, the program has resulted in over 280 grants totaling over $294,000 awarded across the state.

“We are committed to supporting our local fire departments,” said Bruce Hauk, president of Illinois American Water. “This program enables us to further support fire protection in the communities we serve and partner with our local fire fighters.”

About Illinois American Water

Illinois American Water, a wholly owned 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 1.2 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville.

Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs 6,800 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in 47 states and Ontario, Canada. More information can be found at www.amwater.com.

[Karen Cotton, Illinois American Water]