The Chuckatuck Volunteer Fire Department is the recipient of a grant from the Virginia Department of Forestry to help battle wildfires.

The state department awarded a total of $234,000 to 119 volunteer fire departments across the state. The grants range from $1,000 to $2,500 each, and will help provide personal protective equipment, wildland fire tools and fire suppression training to volunteers.

“We work closely with the many volunteer fire departments across the state to protect Virginians’ lives and property from the ravages of wildfire,” said John Miller, director of resource protection for the VDOF. “The grants ensure these brave men and women have the proper training and equipment to help us suppress the more than 1,300 wildfires that occur annually in Virginia.”

Ivor Volunteer Fire Department in Southampton County also received the grant.

Funding for the grants came from the Volunteer Fire Assistance Program, a U.S. Forest Service program administered by the Virginia Department of Forestry.