Martin Ferry Fire Department was one of 190 departments in 49 Ohio counties that was awarded funding through the Small County Volunteer Fire Department (SCVFD) Grant Program. (Photo by Stephanie Elverd)

Local fire stations received boosts from the recently-created Small County Volunteer Fire Department (SCVFD) Grant Program with Martins Ferry set to receive $10,500 and Bridgeport awarded $49,997.

The program was established in the state budget and will provide nearly $8 million to 190 fire departments in Ohio’s smallest counties aimed at toughening emergency response by purchasing essential equipment, upgrading facilities and enhancing access to firefighting training.

“We always look for grant opportunities and ways we can improve our emergency response,” said Martins Ferry Fire Chief 1 Justin Smith. “When this grant came up, we looked at what we needed and there was some equipment on our trucks that needed to be updated and that came to about $10,000. That’s what we applied for and we are appreciative to have received it. We can always use help but there’s a bunch of people that need help so we didn’t want to ask for too much, but we are very thankful for what we did receive.”

All together, local fire departments were awarded more than $325,000 through the fund with Brookside also receiving $48,997 and Sardis receiving $50,000.

The awarding of the funds was announced Friday via a press release from State Rep. Ron Ferguson (R-Wintersville).

“Supporting first responders is a core function of government, and this is the wise use of tax dollars that Ohioans expect,” Ferguson said.

According to the 2023 Governor’s Volunteer Fire Service Task Force report, approximately 70% of Ohio’s nearly 1,200 fire departments rely on volunteers, but there continues to be a steady decrease in volunteer firefighters. From 2018 to 2021, there was a 6.5% decrease in volunteer firefighters, but a 9% increase in calls from 2018 to 2020.