Federal Grant Award Summary

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service awarded $940,000 through its State & Private Forestry Cooperative Fire Assistance program (CFDA 10.698) to the Mid-Atlantic Forest Fire Protection Compact on June 5, 2026, with a completion date of September 30, 2030. This project grant supports critical wildfire preparedness and hazard mitigation initiatives across five states: Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The funding addresses essential fire management needs including firefighter safety programs, fire planning activities, firefighter training delivery, increased initial attack capacity, and mobilization readiness improvements to enhance wildfire suppression and prevention capabilities on non-federal forestlands and other non-federal lands throughout the region.

As an interstate government entity, the Mid-Atlantic Compact will utilize these funds to strengthen regional fire response infrastructure and coordination among member states. The grant supports comprehensive fire management services that enhance firefighter readiness, promote wildfire prevention education, and improve interagency coordination mechanisms to strengthen state and local firefighting capabilities across the Mid-Atlantic region's wildland-urban interface zones.