We are very proud of the award from FEMA. Researching just how successful folks are for this grant, we found out that this probably 1 of only 100 awards nationwide, so we’re incredibly privileged to be able to use this.”

Deputy Fire Chief Jon Pritchard

The Cottage Grove Fire Department has just been awarded a Fire Prevention and Safety (FPS) Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the amount of $124,022. According to the terms of the FPS grant, the city will also be required to provide a match of $6,528, bringing the total grant amount to the fire department to $130,500. The grant, applied for by the city council and the fire department in March, is intended to provide access to home fire safety inspections in the community, fire prevention literature and training for residents, as well as free smoke alarms/carbon monoxide detectors. 

The FPS grant was applied for in response to recent risk evaluations conducted by the fire department, which indicated that Cottage Grove’s home fire risk is 1.15 per 1000 people, slightly higher than the national average of 1.1 per 1000. The evaluation also cited a noticeable increase in “unsafe cooking behaviors” among residents, with department calls involving careless cooking up 39% over the last four years. Another factor considered was the city’s rapidly-growing population. One of the fastest-growing cities in the state, Cottage Grove’s new and future residents will be living in more multi-family homes and higher-density housing being built across the city, which is expected to include many seniors and older residents that may be at higher risk in the event of a fire. 

At the Aug. 16 Cottage Grove City Council meeting, Deputy Fire Chief Jon Pritchard introduced the news, followed by a brief presentation to the council.  

“We are very proud of the award from FEMA,” he said. “Researching just how successful folks are for this grant, we found out that this probably 1 of only 100 awards nationwide, so we’re incredibly privileged to be able to use this.” 

Pritchard summarized the benefits of the award, including home safety inspections and free prevention equipment installation.  

“It will also allow us to use staff off-shift and pay those labor hours, so we can take that burden off of our on-shift staff to do some fire prevention, intervention, and education,” he added.  

He then offered his thanks to the city council for their help in applying for the grant earlier this year. 

Pritchard also thanked Rep. Angie Craig, Sen. Tina Smith, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar who helped make the grant possible at the state and federal level through their involvement in the Congressional Fire Service Caucus.  

“They all worked very hard to make sure that we continue to get these opportunities, so thank you very much,” he concluded. 

Because of the award date coming mid-year, the city is allowed to spread its required $6,258 match over two fiscal years. That will make it a lighter load on the city and its residents and taxpayers, allowing the funded programs to be implemented right away with slightly less burden this year.