COOK COUNTY FIREWISE INFORMATION -- Preparing you and your property for wildland fires -- Home Safety • Gunflint Trail Fire Dept. • Press Releases • E-mail List What to do before... • What to do during... • Other Links  • Prescribed Burn Information  • Home

On August 11, 2009 the Cook County Board of Commissioners approved the application for a 2010 FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant. This grant is similar to the existing Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant which expires October 31, 2011 and is currently providing financial assistance to property owners who applied in December of 2007. The new grant application includes requests for funding assistance for homeowners for external sprinkler or fire prevention systems for properties with available waterfront or non-waterfront situations.

Applications for potential funding are now open for property owners in Cook County who wish to participate in this external wildfire sprinkler program. The information collected will be used to prepare the FEMA Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Application.

Property owners interested in the following risk reduction (mitigation) activities are encouraged to respond:

• External Sprinkler Systems
  1. Low water supply (non-waterfront) sprinkler systems (system requires a cistern or dedicated water supply. Drilled wells do not qualify.)
  2. Regular waterfront sprinkler systems

If the grant application is successful, recipients will be required to comply with standards developed for the sprinkler program as described in the grant application. Firewise mitigation standards, a Firewise assessment and sprinkler system standards will apply to grant recipients.

Award of grants will be determined in the summer or fall of 2010. Homeowners will be required to pay a minimum of 25% of the cost of installation. Funding is competitive and may be limited and contributions from property owners may exceed 25%.

This grant will not provide reimbursements for mitigation activities that have already been undertaken or are in process. However, you may be eligible for additional mitigation activities or system upgrades.

Because of the stipulations within the 2010 Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant guidelines interested homeowners must apply now, as part of Cook County's application for the Grant. Deadline for applying is September 25th, 2009.

Apply on-line at: http://www.co.cook.mn.us/2010application3.php

Because people are on the move, please inform your neighbors who may have missed this notice.

For other questions regarding the program call the Cook County Emergency Management Director at 218-387-3059, or the Cook County Auditor-Treasurer at 218-387-3688

Definition: MITIGATION. "Reducing the frequency or severity of exposure to environmental risks, such as a wildfire, or minimization of the potential impact of a threat."