GCFD 7 gets firefighting grant; small fires dot SW WA Cascades

SOAP LAKE — Grant County Fire District 7, based in Soap Lake, announced Friday it had been awarded a $590,400 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The grant, which will be paid out over a four-year period, is designed to help fire departments recruit and retain volunteer firefighters, according to the announcement. The money will go toward personal protective equipment for new recruits, leadership and career training, new member costs such as apparel and textbooks and a marketing program for recruitment, as well as replacing the fire station sign with a programmable LED sign to assist with disseminating vital information and recruitment information.