Fire protection is crucial no matter where one lives. In small-town and rural America, volunteer fire departments are of vital importance to the well-being of both businesses and residents.

Staffing and equipping these organizations is a challenge both in terms of recruiting a sufficient number of people to become volunteer firefighters and finding the financial resources to pay for the vehicles and multitude of other equipment that enables firefighters to do their job effectively and safely.

Fortunately, throughout the region served by The Messenger, it is common for public-spirited individuals to step forward for part-time service as firefighters. Often, however, tight budgets make mobilizing the finances need to equip and operate a department tough.

That’s why the assistance of corporate grant makers and citizens on the lookout for ways to help these departments can be of immense significance. A recent grant received by the Otho Fire Department is a good example of what can sometime be accomplished with a little help from civic-minded companies and individuals.

Thanks to a $2,500 grant from the Monsanto Fund-sponsored America’s Farmers Grow Communities program, the Otho Fire Department will soon be able to purchase additional firefighting hand tools.

The request for the donation to the department was made by Otho-area farmer Lyle Heatherington, who has been a longtime supporter of the Otho Fire Department.

“He’s been a good supporter of the department,” Otho Fire Chief Marty Smith told The Messenger this week. “He’s always helpful. He’s offered to loan us equipment if it was needed in the past. He’s always at our fundraisers and he’s made past donations.”

Smith said the types of equipment on the department’s shopping list thanks to this grant include wallboard rakes used to take down walls and ceilings to get behind them, long-pike poles used to tear ceilings down and heavy duty crowbars that can be used for a variety of jobs, including making entry into buildings and assisting in vehicle extractions. All the tools to be bought with the donation are items used quite frequently by the 17-member department.

The America’s Farmers Grow Communities program is part of the Monsanto Fund. More than $3 million of financial support will be provided to nonprofits such as fire departments by the program in 2017.

The Messenger applauds Heatherington for taking the initiative to make this grant award possible and the Monsanto Fund and the America’s Farmers Grow Communities for this welcome support for Otho and many other American communities.