Burns fire district gets $10,000
Staff writer
Butler County Fire District 10, based in Burns, will receive a $10,000 grant, one of 150 awarded through State Farm’s Good Neighbor Firefighter Safety Program nationwide.
Burns will use its grant to buy self-contained breathing apparatuses, worn by firefighters in hazardous environments.
State Farm agent Wilfredo Blanco-Diaz worked with Burns Fire Chief Barry Black on the application this spring.
Blanco-Diaz said he did not know what made Burns’ application stand out but noted that the fire district covers a large area from north of El Dorado to north of Burns.
A paramedic for 20 years before joining State Farm, he helped more than 10 volunteer fire districts in southeast and central Kansas with grant applications this year.
“When it comes to these types of grants for fire stations and first responders, I’m all over them,” Blanco-Diaz said.