Atchison County fire departments get $164,354 relief funding boost

Atchison County fire departments received $164,354.08 through the Kansas Firefighters Relief Act, money that can help pay firefighters’ insurance premiums and support the gear, trucks and station upgrades that keep rural coverage working.

The Kansas Department of Insurance said the annual distribution totaled $18,912,365.52 for 553 Firefighter Relief Associations across Kansas. In Atchison County, the money was split among the Atchison Fire Relief Association, Atchison FD #1 in Shannon Township, Atchison County District #5, Atchison County FD #2 and Mt. Pleasant FD #4.

The dollars can be used for health, accident, disability and life insurance premiums for firefighters. They also can support safety enhancements through loans to local governing entities, including firetrucks, station building improvements and firefighting gear, which matters in a county where coverage is spread across Fire District #1 in Shannon, Fire District #2 in Effingham, Fire District #3 in Walnut, Fire District #4 in Mount Pleasant and Fire District #5 in Lancaster.

The Kansas Legislature created the Firefighters Relief Act in 1895, and the program is funded by a 2% tax on fire and lightning insurance premiums written in Kansas. The Atchison Firemans Relief Association has a publicly listed formation year of 1944, showing how long the county has relied on the relief-association structure to support local responders.

Atchison County Fire District No. 2 also has a documented history of reorganization and expansion, a sign that the county’s emergency map has changed as communities and service areas have grown. That makes the relief money more than a bookkeeping entry. It can help keep volunteer firefighters insured, replace worn gear and make upgrades that affect how quickly and safely local crews can respond when calls come in from places such as Shannon Township, Effingham, Walnut, Mount Pleasant and Lancaster.

For residents outside Atchison’s city limits, the practical payoff is direct: the fund helps the departments that are closest to the call stay covered, equipped and ready to move.