Joplin Fire Department receives annual grant from Missouri American Water

JOPLIN, Mo. — The Joplin Fire Department is once again receiving financial support from Missouri American Water through the company’s annual Firefighter Grant Program.

Missouri American Water announced that nearly $50,000 will be awarded to 48 fire departments and emergency response organizations across Missouri this year. A check presentation was held this morning, Wednesday Sep. 23., at 10 a.m. at 303 East Third Street.

For Joplin Fire Chief Gerald Ezell, the grant provides funding for equipment that the department may not otherwise have room for in its annual budget.

“This grant is very important for us,” Ezell said. “We don't have a whole lot of room in our budget. Our budgets are very tight every year. So anytime we have the ability to get additional funding, that's huge for us.”

This year's grant will help the department purchase firefighter hoods designed to provide additional protection from cancer-causing contaminants firefighters can encounter while working fires.

“This is going to go towards buying hoods, basically a cancer hood,” Ezell said. “So it's going to help prevent our firefighters from having the ability to get cancer.”

Ezell said firefighter safety remains one of the department's priorities.

“Anytime we get a chance to provide better safety for our firefighters. That's why we're here,” he said.

The grant is also another example of the ongoing relationship between the Joplin Fire Department and Missouri American Water.

“We have a really great partnership with Missouri American Water,” Ezell said. “Obviously, we have a lot of hydrants in the city. They own all of them. But if somebody hits one, we replace it for them.”

Ezell said the company's investment in the city's water infrastructure also benefits firefighters when they respond to structure fires.

“They've also done a great job upgrading a lot of the lines in the city, so that provides us better water supply whenever we have to fight a structure fire,” he said. “So this grant is just one more way of showing the great partnership we share.”

Why Joplin Continues to Receive the Grant

Joplin has received multiple grants from Missouri American Water's firefighter grant program since it began in 2016. About 380 grants have been awarded through the program since then.

Christie Barnhart, senior communications manager for Missouri American Water, said the program gives the company an opportunity to support fire departments while also recognizing the work firefighters do in their communities.

“This is probably one of the favorite parts of my job, is our firefighter grant program,” Barnhart said. “It gives us a chance to really showcase some synergies with us as a water provider and the fire departments needing what we provide to do their daily jobs.”

Barnhart said the program has become increasingly popular, with Missouri American Water having to turn some departments away this year.

“We actually did have to turn some departments away this year,” she said. “The grant has gotten well known. It's very popular statewide, so we had to make some tough choices.”

Joplin, however, has continued to receive funding since the program's creation.

Barnhart said one factor is the way Joplin uses the money, particularly its focus on fire prevention education.

“When we look at what they do with the funding, because so much about fire prevention is education, and they really target the schools and the students,” Barnhart said. “I think that we always look at that as being such a critical thing to help prevent catastrophes on down the line.”.

The company said the grants are intended to help provide fire departments with critical tools, training and other resources needed to improve emergency preparedness and response.

For Missouri American Water, the firefighter grant program is also connected to the company's role in providing water service.

The company said it is investing nearly $510 million in 2026 to improve water service and reliability. Many older water mains are being replaced with larger mains, which can increase water flow and enhance fire protection.

Missouri American Water also maintains and annually tests more than 44,000 fire hydrants throughout its service territory.

For the Joplin Fire Department, the annual grant provides another source of funding for equipment while continuing a partnership that extends beyond the grant itself.