Wilkeson’s fire station is among 45 grant recipients of Georgia-Pacific’s Bucket Brigade program this year. The department will receive $4,000 to help fund equipment needs.

The grant money will help purchase several new sets of full-body protective gear, which cost more than $1,600 each. The station, which is staffed by volunteers provided under an agreement with the city of Buckley and town of Carbonado, has not had any protective gear of its own.

“While the arrangement with Buckley and Carbonado has greatly enhanced fire protection and EMS in Wilkeson, we still lack the funds to purchase protective clothing for our volunteers,” Fire Chief Alan Predmore said. “This grant will help us get the proper gear to safely and effectively serve the Wilkeson community.”

This year, Georgia-Pacific awarded $207,000 in grants to fire departments for equipment critical for the safety of the firefighters. Since the program started in 2006, Georgia-Pacific has given more than $1.75 million to fire departments that serve the company’s facility communities across the country.

This year, Bucket Brigade grants ranged from $1,000 to $8,000. Grants are based on need and are funded by the Georgia-Pacific Foundation and local Georgia-Pacific facilities. Funds are typically used to purchase new protective clothing and replace items.