Illinois American Water awards over $88,000 in Firefighter Grants
Two local departments receive grants

 

[October 08, 2019] 

Over $88,000 will be shared by 90 Illinois fire departments through Illinois American Water’s 2019 Firefighter Grant Program. Since the program was created in 2010, over 590 grants totaling over
$582,000 have been awarded to fire and emergency organizations serving customers in Illinois American Water’s service area.

“We know the critical role water plays in protecting homes and businesses; we also know resources for our local heroes often run short. The Illinois American Water firefighter grant program was created to help bridge the gap and support our local firefighters,” said Bruce Hauk, Illinois American Water President.

Illinois American Water’s Firefighter Grant Program awards grants to provide personal protective gear, communications equipment, firefighting tools, water handling equipment, training materials and classroom programs.

The grants are being announced in conjunction with National Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 6 – 12, 2019, to raise awareness about the importance of fire prevention and emergency planning. This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme is “Not Every Hero Wears a Cape. Plan and Practice Your Escape!” It educates about the importance of learning and practicing a home fire escape plan. Learn more at http://www.nfpa.org/public- education/campaigns/fire-prevention-week.

Grants provided locally include:

Lincoln Fire Department

Lincoln Rural Fire Department

In addition to the Firefighter Grant Program, Illinois American Water partners with local firefighters on a daily basis.

As a private water utility, the company is required to test and operate every fire hydrant annually.  According to Hauk, Illinois American Water maintains over 29,000 fire hydrants across the state.

About Illinois American Water - Illinois American Water, a 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 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,100 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to more than 14 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com

[Karen Cotton]