Columbia Gas of Ohio announced on Monday, November 9, that it has awarded Public Safety Grants to 17 organizations across Ohio, funding firefighter training, water rescue work, CPR education and community safety programs from the Lake Erie shore to the Ohio River, according to a company press release carried by Marion County Now.
The grants, funded by the NiSource Charitable Foundation, range from $500 to $5,000, Columbia Gas said in the release. The money supports first responder training, fire prevention, CPR and first aid education, water rescue training and other community safety programs in the company’s 60-county service area.
“Safety is our No. 1 priority at Columbia Gas, and our ongoing support of these critical organizations forms a partnership that promotes the safety of our customers and communities,” Columbia Gas of Ohio President and COO Bob Heidorn said in the company’s press release. “We’re proud to support these organizations and the important work they’re doing to help make communities across Ohio safer.”
The recipient list reads like a map of the work Ohio’s first responders actually do. The Crooksville Fireman Association will fund swift and flood water rescue training, the Fairfield County Fire Chiefs Association will put its award toward county-wide diver certification training, and the Ohio Special Response Team will support water search and rescue training and community education, according to the release.
Other awards reach into classrooms and neighborhoods. The Jefferson Township Firefighters Association will fund fire prevention education for school-age students, the Worthington Township Firefighters Association will support Safety Town fire prevention education, and the Upper Arlington Fire Department, through the Upper Arlington Community Foundation, will run a carbon monoxide prevention and home safety program, the release said.
Several grants back the people behind the badges and the turnout gear. The Law Enforcement Foundation will fund a police executive leadership and management training series, Legacy of Honor will run a first responder resiliency and safety education initiative, and the Stark County Sheriff’s Office, through Target One Ministries Inc., will support school resource officer professional development, according to Columbia Gas.
In central Ohio, the Marion Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association will fund a youth safety and basic needs outreach program — one of two recipients in the Marion area’s orbit, alongside programs as far afield as the Columbiana County CERT Association’s community first aid work and Perrysburg Township Fire & EMS’s community fire and life safety education program, the release said.
“This grant has a simple goal: to strengthen safety education and training across Ohio,” Community Engagement Manager Stephanie Merkle said in the Columbia Gas press release. “These organizations share Columbia’s commitment to safety, and we’re proud to support programs that can make a meaningful difference in the communities we serve.”
The full recipient list also includes the East Springfield Fire Department, through Amsterdam Community Church of God, for a community lifesaver and safety initiative; the Hocking Valley Community Hospital Foundation, for community CPR, AED and first aid preparedness; the Lindsey Volunteer Fire Department, for an emergency responder training network upgrade; the North Ridgeville Firefighters Community Fund, for fire and life safety education; and the OR&W Fireman’s Association, for a firefighter accountability tag system and training, according to the release.
Columbia Gas said information about the Public Safety Grant is shared throughout its 60-county service area, and that a committee of Columbia employees reviews applications against established grant criteria, with a focus on programs that advance public safety education and training. That local review matters for small departments: for a volunteer fire association, a grant of a few thousand dollars can be the difference between sending firefighters to a water-rescue course this year or waiting for the next budget cycle.
Public safety work in Franklin County has also drawn headlines this fall for enforcement as well as training — see our earlier coverage of Franklin County’s Operation Unity, which seized 9 kilos of fentanyl in 198 stops. The Columbia Gas awards sit on the prevention side of that same work: training, education and equipment for the departments residents call first.
What happens next is local. Each of the 17 organizations will put its award to work on the program named in the release — training dates, school visits and community classes set by the departments and foundations themselves. Organizations interested in a future round can find the program through Columbia Gas of Ohio’s Public Safety Grant page, which the company links from its announcement.