The Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) Foundation is giving first responders important new tools to keep their communities safe by awarding a total of $75,000 to help police, fire and emergency medical services (EMS) agencies acquire lifesaving equipment and improve safety in communities across northeast and north-central Wisconsin.

“We are honored to support the everyday heroes in our communities and their relentless dedication to keeping everyone safe,” said Beth Straka, president of WPS Foundation. “These grants mean more than just new equipment or one-time training sessions. Their true impact is felt when seconds are saved, damage is prevented and people’s lives return to normal because first responders had the tools they needed to prevent serious harm.”

New lifesaving equipment

The program helps police, fire and EMS agencies acquire lifesaving equipment or important training to improve public safety. This year’s grants are helping first responders receive dozens of critical tools, from pedestrian safety signs and protective clothing to heavy-duty rescue saws.

The WPS Foundation selected the Minocqua Fire and Rescue Department as one of this year’s grant recipients, unveiling new medical supplies purchased through the grant. The supplies will go toward the department’s mass incident emergency response kit to help firefighters provide lifesaving care if people are injured during large public events or gatherings.

“These supplies for our emergency response kit will enable us to immediately triage and treat victims of an active threat or an accident where multiple people are injured,” said Rich Carani, fire chief of Minocqua Fire and Rescue Department. “The WPS Foundation’s Rewarding Responders Grant comes to us at a time when we are facing a new challenge in public safety. This grant means we are able to purchase the equipment we need to respond quickly and treat members of the public when needed.”

Other 2026 grant recipients from northern Wisconsin include: Three Lakes Fire Department, receiving firefighter communication radios; Lac du Flambeau Fire and Ambulance, firefighter breathing apparatus tanks; Nokomis Volunteer Fire Department , firefighting hose nozzle; Crescent Volunteer Fire Department, multi-gas detector; Crandon Area Rescue Squad, pulse oximetry and carbon monoxide monitors; and Tomahawk Police Department, automated external defibrillator (AED).

WPS focuses on safety for its employees, customers and communities every day. The WPS Foundation’s Rewarding Responders Grant program supports local first responders who share this commitment to keeping everyone safe.

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 nearly 240 individual agencies through the grant.
Including this year’s grants, the WPS Foundation has now donated more than $750,000 to help first responders improve public safety since the program began in 2014.