Great Bend Post
In an effort to see more funding provided to volunteer fire departments in Kansas, Larned Fire Chief Antonio Hearn reached out to Kansas State Representative Brett Fairchild. Hearn requested that Fairchild get an allocation of $1 million for equipment for volunteer firefighters.
Fairchild, representing District 113, introduced an amendment to the State Fire Marshall grant program to provide $500,000 in additional funding for the program. In a social media post, Fairchild stated the Judiciary received a $30 million increase in funding for 2026, so he did not believe it would hurt to remove $500,000 from the Judiciary’s budget.
The amendment passed by a voice vote and will now be determined by a conference committee with the House and the Senate on whether the amendment will be included in the final budget.
The Larned Fire Department has been operating as a volunteer fire department since 1876. The department serves 10.5 townships in Pawnee County, covering 378 square miles.