Close to 200 farmers across 51 local council areas in South Australia will receive grants to purchase essential firefighting equipment to keep lives, property and livelihoods safe.
Following the success of last year’s program, a total of 192 farmers have been awarded grants for equipment ranging from first aid kits and personal protective clothing to water pumps and complete Farm Firefighting Units (FFUs).
A State Budget 2022-23 commitment of $2 million over four years, FFU grants support landowners to purchase equipment to improve community safety and capability to respond to fire emergencies.
Through the reinstated Regional Capability Community Fund (RCCF) successful applications reimburse between $200 to $3,000 for the purchase of eligible equipment to support the safe use of FFUs.
For Round Two, priority was given to eligible applicants who were either unsuccessful or did not apply in Round One. The grant program received 463 applications across 51 local council areas for a total requested value of nearly $2 million.
Eligibility criteria for RCCF included farmers, primary producers, farming businesses or rural landholders and rural community groups.
RCCF applicants were encouraged to purchase equipment from their local region to support the local community and economy.
Items approved for funding include 122 Farm Firefighting Units, 26 water tanks, 21 water pumps, 31 UHF/CB radios, 15 fire hoses, 58 items of personal protective clothing, 14 first aid kits, 16 amber rotating beacons, three heat shields and nine fire blankets.
Minister for Emergency Services, Joe Szakacs said the government recognises that Farm Firefighting Units are crucial to help farmers keep their loved ones, properties and livestock safe.
“Those that apply for these grants are often the first on the fire ground and they must be properly resourced,” he said.
Farming communities told us loud and clear that this grant program was critical, and the Malinauskas Labor Government couldn’t be more pleased to see such success in the second year running.
Between last year’s incredible uptake and this year’s flow-on results, we’ve been able to reward funding to 1035 individual pieces of equipment.”
