State Farm® Good Neighbor Firefighter Safety Program awards $1 million to local volunteer fire departments

Sejal Dave

State Farm would like to congratulate the 100 volunteer fire departments selected to receive a $10,000 grant to purchase equipment that will help enhance safety, communications and operations for their departments. Volunteer fire departments play a critical role in the protection of communities across the country, especially in small towns and rural areas. In fact, over 65% of all firefighters in the U.S. are volunteers.

“We are proud to support the safety of volunteer firefighters – the ultimate good neighbors who risk their lives each and every day,” said Apsara Sorensen, State Farm corporate responsibility assistant vice president.

Check out the award recipients here.

Teaming up with the NVFC

In order to distribute the grants, State Farm teamed up with the NVFC to develop the program and select the winners. Only 500 applications were accepted, and the NVFC reached that limit in just 1.5 hours.

“We had a resounding response to this inaugural year of the State Farm Good Neighbor Firefighter Safety Program, which demonstrates how needed this support is for our local volunteer fire departments,” NVFC Chair Steve Hirsch said. “We are excited to see the direct impact this will have on departments and communities now and in years to come.”

Due to the high number of impressive applications and the widespread need observed across the nation, State Farm will continue the grant program in 2025. Future applicants can stay tuned to the NVFC opportunities page.

Those who were not awarded a grant still received something valuable. State Farm provided NVFC memberships to all 500 applicants, giving them access to a range of tools and resources designed to help them succeed. This includes free training, a First Responder Helpline and many additional benefits.

Fire Prevention Week

This announcement coincides with an important time for fire departments – October 6-12 is Fire Prevention Week. The theme this year is “Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!™” which strives to educate everyone about the importance of having working smoke alarms at home.

State Farm also supports fire prevention through the American Red Cross Sound the Alarm program. Through this collaboration, so far this year Red Cross has documented more than 100 lives saved, more than 130,000 smoke alarms installed and more than 40,000 escape plans created.

For more information about Fire Prevention Week and this year’s theme, visit fpw.org.