The purpose of the Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) program is to provide financial, technical and other assistance to state foresters and other appropriate officials to organize, train, and equip fire departments in rural Michigan areas and rural communities to prevent and suppress fires. A rural community is defined as having 10,000 or less population.
Qualifying projects must support (1) fire fighter safety, (2) technology transfer, or (3) rural fire defense. Some examples of qualifying projects include, but are not limited to:
- Fire prevention/education materials
- Training equipment and supplies
- Water handling equipment
- Organizational start-up (new departments only)
- Communications equipment (pagers, radios)
- Dry hydrants
- Class "A" foam technology
- Safety gear (PASS alarms, SCBAs, turn-out gear).