By Cynthia Grau/WJEZ News

Illinois American Water announced its 2016 Firefighter Grant Program.

Karen Cotton, external affairs manager for Illinois American Water Company has more.

“At Illinois American Water, we partner very closely with the fire department. We test and maintain every fire hydrant in our service area, so we work very closely with our fire departments. We appreciate everything they do for the communities we serve, so this is one other way we can help them and support the fire protection effort,” said Cotton.

Fire departments in Illinois American Water service area can send letters describing information about the organizations they wish to support, an overview of specific project and grant amount requested, along with a timeframe of the projects or specific challenges the project will address. These letters can be sent to [email protected] before September 8.