Illinois American Water distributes grant to City of Elgin Fire Department
The City of Elgin Fire Department will be purchasing two mobile laptop computers to be used in the command center and in vehicles thanks to a grant from Illinois American Water (IAW).
The IAW 2017 Firefighter Grant Program provides financial assistance to fire and emergency organizations serving communities in its service areas.
This year, approximately $75,000 will be awarded to 78 Illinois fire departments. Since the program was created in 2010, over 425 grants totaling over $417,000 has been awarded.
"We are proud to partner with our local firefighters. Illinois American Water tests and operates every fire hydrant annually. We also maintain all of the hydrants, over 29,000 across the state, in our service areas," said Bruce Hauk, Illinois American Water president. "We know the critical role water plays in protecting homes and businesses and we also know resources for our local heroes often runs short. Through this grant program, we are able to partner on another level and further support our local heroes."
Illinois American Water's Firefighter Grant Program awards grants to provide personal protective gear, communications equipment, firefighting tools, water handling equipment, training materials and classroom programs.
Chief Dave Schmidt thanked Illinois American Water during the check presentation.
"On behalf of the Elgin Fire Department, I would like to thank Illinois American Water for awarding us another grant from your Firefighters Grant Program," stated Schmidt. "The funding from this grant will allow our Technical Rescue Team to purchase some much-needed equipment.
"This equipment purchase will enable the team to be better equipped to mitigate technical rescue incidents as well as provide our members with a greater degree of personal safety," Schmidt said. "We are incredibly grateful for your grant program and for the opportunities they provide to purchase tools and equipment."
About Illinois American Water - Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville.
With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. The company employs 6,700 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in 47 states and Ontario, Canada. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.