Suburban fire districts, departments among recipients of state fire marshal grants

A new batch of HydraFusion struts no longer will be on the wish list for the Carol Stream Fire Protection District.

The district was among 260 fire departments, fire districts, and emergency medical service providers statewide to receive $6 million in 2026 Small Equipment Grants from the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM).

Successful applicants may receive up to $26,000 for the purchase of small firefighting and ambulance equipment. Requests target a specific need within a department.

Rosemont ($23,268) in Cook County, Bensenville ($26,000) in DuPage County, Lake Zurich ($16,000) in Lake County, and Algonquin-Lake in the Hills ($19,029.80) in McHenry County are among the recipients.

“It is essential that our first responders have the funding and equipment they need to serve their communities,” Gov. JB Pritzker said Thursday in a news release.

Applicants were required to participate in the National Fire Incident Reporting System and National Emergency Response Information System for at least two years before applying for a grant.

It was probably the third time the Carol Stream Fire Protection District had applied for the OSFM grant, said Fire Chief Rob Schultz, in the district 28 years and chief for six.

And it was the charm. Schultz expects the struts — an adjustable metal pole used to lift heavy machinery to facilitate a rescue or to support or stabilize heavy equipment such as a tractor or semitrailer — to be delivered and ready for use by the end of summer.

The Carol Stream district currently has similar equipment, but “this would be to complement and reinforce what we already have,” Schultz said.

Schultz said the $24,816 grant will come in handy as the new struts no longer will require a budget request.

“At the end of the day ... the fire protection district would end up paying for this,” Schultz said.