Pennsylvania Office of the State Fire Commissioner

09/29/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/29/2026 09:19

State Fire Commissioner Announces $250,000 in Available Grants

Harrisburg, PA - Today, State Fire Commissioner Thomas Cook announced the application period for the 2026 Act 13 Unconventional Gas Well Fund (UGWF) grant opens tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 30. The online application will remain open until Monday, Nov. 30, 2026, at 4:00 PM. The UGWF grant provides grants for volunteer and career fire, emergency medical services (EMS), and rescue companies in counties throughout Commonwealth where unconventional gas well drilling has been permitted to acquire the specialized training, skills, and equipment to respond to gas well related emergencies to keep communities safe.

Fire companies, rescue companies and EMS located in the 40 counties with unconventional gas wells, and the 11 counties that directly border those counties, are eligible to apply for the grants. A map of eligible counties is available here.

Act 13 funding delivered through the Office of the State Fire Commissioner helps fire, rescue, and EMS agencies offset the costs for the training and tools they need to respond quickly and safely to gas well incidents. These grants strengthen community readiness and help ensure the safety of both first responders and the people they serve.

- State Fire Commissioner Thomas Cook

Eligible projects in accordance with the 2026 UGWF Grant Program provided by the Act 13 of 2012, include development, delivery and sustainment of training, professional certification, or the acquisition of specialized equipment for emergency responses relating to natural gas production from unconventional gas wells.

Examples of eligible projects include:

  • Obtaining professional national certification of fire, rescue, and EMS personnel.
  • Purchase of firefighting, rescue, EMS, or air monitoring equipment used at or related to an unconventional gas well pad incident or related to an unconventional gas well pad, including training on the equipment provided by the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy at no additional costs to the grant recipient.
  • Training classes and required educational materials to prepare for incidents at an unconventional gas well pad incident or related to the unconventional gas industry.

Visit the Office of the State Fire Commissioner website for detailed information about the grant program and instructions on how to apply.

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Pennsylvania Office of the State Fire Commissioner published this content on September 29, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 29, 2026 at 15:19 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]