DURANT — State Senator Jay Paul Gumm, State Representative John Carey and State Representative Paul Roan presented checks for operational funding to 17 rural fire departments in Bryan County.

Volunteer fire departments from Achille, Albany, Bennington, Bokchito, Caddo, Calera, Cartwright, Colbert, Freeny Valley, Kemp, Lakewood, Philadelphia, Roberta, Silo, Wade, West Bryan County and Yuba received checks for $5,100.00 each.

These funds are appropriated by the state legislature through the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry division for rural departments across the state serving communities and towns with populations of 10,000 or less. The money can be used for the day-to-day operation of the fire departments such as fuel, utilities, repair and equipment.

“We appreciate what you do for us,” Gumm said, in a news release. “Volunteer fire departments get just about the biggest ‘bang for the buck’ of anything funded with our tax dollars. Every dollar we spend on rural fire departments helps keep our families safe, keeps fire insurance rates as low as possible. In short, these dollars save us money and save lives – and it is a program I will always support.”

Representative Carey thanked the firefighters for their outstanding service to their communities and expressed his continued support for the rural fire departments and emphasized that these funds provide for the safety of firefighters, improved fire protection, enhanced safety of the community residents, lessens the amount of fire damage and its costs.

Representative Roan said, “Our Oklahoma Volunteer Firefighters are the real heroes of Oklahoma. They unselfishly volunteer to protect our state with no compensation. Our citizens are saved millions of dollars from fire loss and lower insurance premiums. The operational grants are the best return of any state dollars we appropriate.”

The Rural Fire Defense Program is administered by the Southern Oklahoma Development Association (SODA) through a contract with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture Food and Forestry.