The volunteer fire assistance program sub-awards federal grant funds to benefit rural montana communities with populations of less than 10,000 people

The Department of Agriculture Forest Service R1-Northern Region awarded $168,680 to the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation on June 4, 2026, under the State & Private Forestry Cooperative Fire Assistance program (CFDA 10.698) to provide financial and technical assistance to rural volunteer fire departments in Montana communities with populations below 10,000 people.

The funding supports preparedness and mobilization activities for rural volunteer fire departments, including training, equipping, and enabling response capabilities for prevention, control, and suppression of fires on rural, state, and private lands. The primary goal is to strengthen local fire department capacity to respond to wildland fire incidents, thereby improving public safety, protecting property, and conserving natural resources.

The award runs through May 31, 2031, with performance occurring in Montana. This is a Project Grant sub-award distributed through the state forestry agency to benefit rural communities and volunteer fire response infrastructure.

This funding will provide financial, technical, and related assistance to rural volunteer fire departments to conduct preparedness and mobilization activities, including training, equipping, and otherwise enabling response to requests for the prevention, control and suppression of fires occurring on rural lands and threatening rural communities. The primary goal is to strengthen the capacity of local fire departments to respond to wildland fire incidents on both state and private lands, thereby improving public safety, protecting property, and conserving natural resources.