Donna Owens, director of the Ohio Department of Commerce, presented a $10,000 grant this afternoon to Chief Charles Bowling of the Aid Township Volunteer Fire Department.

The grant, which is funded through the State Fire Marshal's Volunteer Fire Department Grant Program, will assist the department in replacing equipment damaged in the flooding earlier this year.

"I am particularly pleased to present this grant to the Aid Township Volunteer Fire Department," Director Owens said. "Despite the setback that they experienced during the flooding, Chief Bowling and the entire department have continued to serve the needs of their community. We hope that this $10,000 grant will be a financial as well as an emotional lift to them as they work to replace the damaged equipment."

The grant program was created by the Ohio General Assembly in 1993 to assist qualifying volunteer fire departments. Under the 1997 program, a total of $700,000 is being distributed to 125 volunteer fire departments.

The grants are awarded using a grading schedule that attempts to first fund departments with the fewest resources to meet their fire protection needs and responsibilities. The criteria include: population and size of the fire district, fire department's total budget, number of fire runs, and proposed use of the grant.

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The Division of State Fire Marshal is part of the Ohio Department of Commerce. The Fire Marshal's Office trains firefighters, enforces the Ohio Fire Code, investigates the cause and origins of fires and explosions, provides fire prevention programs, and performs other services. Other Commerce divisions enforce regulations regarding industrial compliance, financial institutions, real estate, securities, auctioneers, unclaimed funds and private investigators, among others.