Awarded by Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency, the grant can be used to pay expenses for field camps, equipment repair and replacement, materials and supplies, and mobilization and demobilization.
The FEMA money will offset 75 percent of the state Department of Natural Resources' firefighting costs at Cooney Ridge, where nearly 25,000 acres burned.
Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., added that the grant program is essential because of the size and frequency of wildfires experienced in Montana in recent years.
"With severe drought threatening another potentially devastating fire season, Montana's state government should not have to endure the added burden of worrying about where the money will come to pay for protecting lives and local communities."
The Cooney Ridge fires threatened homes in both Missoula and Ravalli counties; the state of Montana took the lead in suppressing that fire.
Reporter Sherry Devlin can be reached at 523-5268 or at sdevlin@missoulian.com
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