Chelan County Firefighters Will Be Able to Better Respond to Wildfires Thanks to $1M Federal Grant

Chelan County Firefighters Will Be Able to Better Respond to Wildfires Thanks to $1M Federal Grant

Grant to help pay for 2 new firetrucks & associated equipment

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Chelan County Fire District 6 has received a $1,000,000 federal grant to purchase two fire fighting trucks and reduce wildfire response times, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, announced today.

"This grant will help Chelan County's first responders purchase two new fire trucks, enabling them to get to fires faster and limit damage," Sen. Cantwell said. "With wildfires in Central Washington becoming more frequent and dangerous, investments like these can help save lives and property."

This month's Chelan Hill fire resulted in the loss of one life, the evacuation of more than 500 people, the destruction of 19 homes and destruction of or damage to more than 100 structures, and burned nearly 10,000 acres.

Chelan County Fire District 6 provides dedicated fire protection and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to approximately 7,300 residents across a 45-square-mile coverage area in Washington's Upper Wenatchee Valley. The grant comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Program.

As wildfires in the West become more frequent and intense, Sen. Cantwell is working to ensure communities have access to the resources to prevent, prepare for, fight, and recover from major wildfires. She secured billions of dollars to support wildfire prevention, response, and recovery in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Last year, she spearheaded Senate passage of the bipartisan Fire Ready Nation Act to formally establish a permanent Fire Weather Services program within NOAA and authorize funding for new technologies to forecast weather conditions that cause and impact wildfires.

In January 2024, Sen. Cantwell co-introduced the Making Aid for Local Disasters Equal Now (MALDEN) Act, a bipartisan proposal to improve coordination between local, state, tribal, and federal agencies to deliver resources faster in the aftermath of disastrous wildfires. The MALDEN Act is named for the town of Malden, WA, which was destroyed by the 2020 Babb Road Fire.

Following 2023's devastating Gray and Oregon Road fires in Eastern Washington, Sen. Cantwell sent a letter to the Biden administration in support of then-Gov. Jay Inslee's request for a Major Disaster Declaration, and sent another letter in January 2024 asking for an immediate update on the status of this request. Shortly after Sen. Cantwell sent that letter, President Joe Biden declared a major disaster declaration for Spokane County to deliver funding and assistance for residents and business owners.

After the Bolt Creek Fire in 2022, Sen. Cantwell helped secure emergency funding to stabilize fire-scarred land around Highway 2 near Sultan. In 2023, the Senate unanimously passed two of Sen. Cantwell's bipartisan bills to modernize the nation's weather communication and radio service to keep communities better informed during intense weather events.