The US Department of Interior has launched a pilot program to strengthen local governments' wildfire response by converting vehicles to wildland fire engines.
This program -- funded with an initial $5 million investment from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law -- will help small, remote emergency response agencies quickly expand their wildfire response capacity as they continue to face the devastating impacts of climate change, drought and intense wildfires.
The pilot program can be used by local governments to purchase slip-on tanker units that will allow them to quickly convert trucks and other vehicles to be operated as wildland fire engines.
Local governments that provide emergency services to areas with a population of 25,000 or less are eligible to apply. Grant amounts will range from $10,000 to $200,000. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law authorized $50 million for the pilot program and $5 million is available during this first round of funding.
The slip-on tanker pilot program will strengthen coordination between the Interior Department, states and local communities as they work together to address the growing threat of wildfires. Improved collaboration is a central tenet of the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission's final report, which was released last September.
Grant applications must be submitted through the "grants.gov" website by March 21st. Additional details about the pilot program and application process will be available in the Federal Register in the coming days.
