U.S. Senator from Illinois Dick Durbin this week highlighted some new funding that’s available for rural Emergency Management agencies in Illinois. The funding comes through Durbin’s Supporting and Improving Rural EMS Needs Act, otherwise known as the SIREN Act, and supports agencies in a number of ways. The funding supports training and recruiting staff, conducting certification courses, and purchasing equipment- which includes everything from naloxone and PPE to power stretchers and new ambulances. The SIREN Act was signed into law in 2018 as a part of the Farm Bill and is the third year of annual funding for the grant program. Durbin says rural EMS agencies are on the front lines of responding to COVID-19, the opioid crisis and treating emergency needs of an aging population. But he adds that “many face workforce and geographic challenges in their communities and lack steady funding.” Rural fire and EMS agencies in Illinois interested in applying for grant funding through Durbin’s SIREN Act can apply at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website.
