The Osage Fire Protection District received a $3,000 grant from the Missouri Department of Conservation for Indian packs, Motorola pagers and Kenwood portable radios.
Some 186 Missouri fire departments are receiving checks for up to $4,000 to help with the purchase of personal protective gear and firefighting equipment through a $367,354 matching-funds grant program this year.
Fire departments are required to match 50 percent for the funds which are provided by the Missouri Department of Conservation and U.S. Forest Service. Throughout the last 30 years, more than $7.5 million has been distributed to rural fire departments to help them increase the safety of their firefighters and provide them with better firefighting equipment.