Waverly Fire Protection District gets grant for new rescue tools

A $25,839 grant will let the Waverly Fire Protection District replace its original hydraulic rescue tools with new extrication equipment, a change that could shave critical minutes off rescue times when a driver is pinned in wreckage on Morgan County roads.

The grant money will buy a cutter, a spreader, two batteries, two battery chargers, a charging cord, a chain cord and another battery charger. In practical terms, that means the department will have a refreshed set of the tools commonly known as the Jaws of Life, equipment firefighters use to pry open mangled vehicles, cut metal and free victims faster when every second matters.

That upgrade carries extra weight in Waverly, the second-largest city in Morgan County, where the fire and rescue district covers far more than the city limits. The Waverly Fire/Rescue Department serves the city and nearly 100 square miles in the Waverly Rural Fire District, a stretch of ground that includes country roads, farm lanes and highway miles where crashes can leave people trapped far from larger city fire services. The department is entirely volunteer, with 26 active members as of May 2026.

Those volunteers were already busy before the new equipment arrived. In 2025, Waverly Fire/Rescue responded to 501 total service calls and logged 2,280 volunteer hours, a workload that shows how often local crews are called to stretch their resources. Better extrication gear also lowers the risk of mechanical failure during a rescue, when a worn tool can slow treatment and make an already dangerous scene worse.

The grant fits the broader mission of the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Small Equipment Grant Program, which provides up to $26,000 per eligible department for essential gear. In the latest grant cycle, the state awarded $4 million to 183 fire departments and EMS providers from 347 applications seeking about $7.7 million. State rules say awards are based on equipment need and financial need, and applicants must be NFIRS-compliant.

For Morgan County, the practical value reaches beyond Waverly. Jacksonville Fire Department says it provides vehicle rescue and other technician-level rescue services countywide through mutual aid agreements, a reminder that faster, better-equipped local responders can matter when crashes happen outside a larger city’s immediate reach. For families traveling rural roads, the grant is not about ceremony or process. It is about getting trapped victims out sooner and giving them a better chance to survive.