More than $110,000 has been awarded this year to 112 Illinois fire departments and districts through Illinois American Water’s Firefighter Grant Program. Since the initiative began in 2010, nearly 1,200 grants totaling over $1 million have been granted to fire and emergency organizations serving customers in Illinois American Water’s service area.

"We extend our sincere thanks to Illinois American Water for their continued support of fire departments throughout the State of Illinois, and of every community in which they invest,” says Shawn Sollberger, fire chief at the City of Peoria Fire Department. “The City of Peoria Fire Department is proud to recognize community partners like Illinois American Water, whose commitment and contributions positively impact our ability to deliver high-quality fire services to the residents of Peoria."

Illinois American Water’s Firefighter Grant Program provides funding for organizations to purchase personal protective gear, communications equipment, firefighting tools, water handling equipment, training materials and provide community education.

“Illinois American Water knows how crucial water is for protecting homes and businesses,” says Rebecca Losli, president of Illinois American Water. “Through our partnerships with local fire departments, we learn about the constantly evolving challenges firefighters must overcome to keep our communities safe in emergency situations. We created the Firefighter Grant Program to support our first responders and help them care for and educate our communities about fire safety.”

The following Illinois fire departments will receive funding this year:

• Alhambra Fire Protection District
• Allen Township Fire Department
• Alton Fire Department
• Andalusia Fire Protection District
• Arcola Fire Protection District
• Belleville Fire Department
• Blackhawk Fire Protection District
• Brighton Betsey Ann Fire Protection District
• Broadlands Longview Fire Protection District
• Cahokia Volunteer Fire Department
• Cairo Auxiliary Fire Department
• Cairo Fire Department
• Camargo Countryside Fire Protection District
• Champaign Fire Department
• Chillicothe Community Fire Protection District
• Cincinnati Fire Protection District
• City of Pekin Fire Department
• City of Peoria Fire Department
• City of Villa Grove Fire Department
• Columbia Fire Protection District
• Cottage Hills Fire Protection District
• Dana Fire Protection District
• Darien-Woodridge Fire District
• Des Plaines Fire Department
• Dunlap Community Fire Protection District
• East Side Fire Protection District
• East St. Louis Fire Department
• Eastern Prairie Fire Protection District
• Edge-Scott Fire Protection District
• Elgin Fire Department
• Elmhurst Fire Department
• Fairmont City Fire Department
• Fairview Caseyville Township Fire Protection District
• Farmington Fire Protection District
• Fosterburg Fire Protection District
• Fox Lake Fire Protection District
• French Village Fire Department
• Glen Carbon Fire Protection District
• Godfrey Fire Protection District
• Grand Ridge Volunteer Fire Department
• Granite City Fire Department
• Hamel Volunteer Fire Protection District
• Hardin Fire Protection District
• Holiday Shores Fire Protection District
• Homer Township Fire Protection District
• Jerseyville Fire Department
• Lemont Fire Protection District
• Leonore Volunteer Fire Department
• Limestone Township Fire Protection District
• Lincoln Rural Fire Protection District
• Lincoln Fire Department
• Lisle-Woodridge Fire District
• Logan-Trivoli Fire Protection District
• Lombard Fire Department
• Long Lake Fire Department
• Long Point Fire Protection District
• Marine Community Fire Protection District
• Mascoutah Fire Department
• Millstadt Union Fire Department
• Mitchell Fire Department
• Mt. Pulaski Rural Fire Protection District
• North Pekin Fire Department
• Northwest Homer Fire Protection District
• Northwest St. Clair County Fire Protection District
• O'Fallon Fire Department
• Olive Fire Protection District
• Orland Fire Protection District
• Oswego Fire Protection District
• Pesotum Fire Protection District
• Plainfield Fire Protection District
• Pocahontas Old Ripley Fire Protection District
• Pontiac Fire Department
• Prospect Height Fire Protection District
• QEM Fire Protection District
• Reading Fire Department
• Rockton Fire Protection District
• Romeoville Fire Department
• Rosiclare Fire Department
• Sadorus Fire Protection District
• Sangamon Valley Fire Protection District
• Sauget Fire Department
• Saunemin Fire Protection District
• Schaeferville Fire Protection District
• Sidney Fire Protection District
• Signal Hill Fire Department
• South Beloit Fire Department
• South Elgin and Countryside Fire Protection District
• Southwestern Illinois College Fire Science Program
• St. Clair Special Emergency Services
• St. Charles Fire Department
• St. Joseph-Stanton Fire Protection District
• Sterling Fire Department
• Streator Fire Department
• Swansea Fire Department
• Tolono Fire Protection District
• Tremont Fire Protection District
• Troy Fire Protection District
• Tuscola Fire Department
• University of Illinois Willard Airport Fire Department
• Urbana Fire Department
• Venice Fire Department
• Villa Hills Fire Department
• Village of Bartonville Fire Department
• Village of Bolingbrook Fire Department
• Village of Brooklyn Fire Department
• Village of Mount Prospect Fire Department
• Village of Savoy Fire Department
• Warrenville Fire Protection District
• Washington Fire Department
• Washington Park Fire Department
• West Peoria Fire Department
• Worden Fire Department

These grants were announced following National Fire Prevention Week, which took place Oct. 5 - Oct. 11, 2025, raising awareness about the importance of fire prevention and emergency planning. This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme was "Charge into Fire Safety™: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home." The theme aimed to educate individuals about how important it is to buy, charge, and recycle safely when it comes to lithium-ion batteries. Learn more at www.nfpa.org.

About American Water

American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. With a history dating back to 1886, We Keep Life Flowing® by providing safe, clean and reliable drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people with regulated operations in 14 states and on 18 military installations. American Water’s 6,700 talented professionals leverage their significant expertise and the company’s national size and scale to achieve excellent outcomes for the benefit of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders.

For more information, visit amwater.com and join American Water on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram.

About Illinois American Water

Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, is the largest regulated water utility in the state, providing safe, clean and reliable water and wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251104471157/en/

“Through our partnerships with local fire departments, we learn about the constantly evolving challenges firefighters must overcome to keep our communities safe in emergency situations," says Rebecca Losli, president of Illinois American Water.