Pound Fire Department receives Rewarding Responders Grant

POUND – The Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) Foundation is providing vital new tools to those who keep communities safe. The WPS Foundation is awarding $75,000 to help local first responders purchase lifesaving equipment and strengthen public safety as part of its Rewarding Responders Grant program.

WPS focuses on safety for its employees, customers and communities every day. The WPS Foundation’s Rewarding Responders Grant program supports the agencies that also are committed to keeping everyone safe. The grants help local first responders purchase lifesaving equipment or training that allows their members to improve public safety.

“We are honored to continue our support of public safety agencies and the invaluable impact they make in our communities every day,” said WPS Foundation President Beth Straka.

“The important tools we help provide our first responders — from vital medical devices to heavy-duty equipment — can be critical in keeping people and our communities safe.”

Including this year’s grants, the WPS Foundation has now donated more than $675,000 to help police, fire and emergency medical services agencies improve public safety across north-central and northeast Wisconsin.

The 2025 grant recipients from northern Wisconsin include:

• Community Ambulance Service Inc. — Emergency patient care equipment
• Lakewood Volunteer Fire Department — Helmet-mounted flashlights
• Marinette County Sheriff’s Office — Aerial drone
• Menominee County Fire Chiefs Association — Search and rescue training
• Pound Fire Department — Emergency scene safety lighting
• Town of Brazeau Fire Department — Thermal imaging camera
• Town of Peshtigo Fire Department — Protective firefighting hoods

The WPS Foundation offers its Rewarding Responders Grant each year to emergency response agencies that operate in the WPS service area. Eligible agencies can apply for up to $2,000 in funding through the grant. Since the program began, the WPS Foundation has helped 225 individual agencies through the grant.