Sixteen organizations across northern Indiana will be able to further public safety initiatives – like carbon monoxide safety education or lithium-ion battery response training, for example – thanks to support from NIPSCO’s 2023 Public Safety Education and Training Grants program, the utility company announced. Recipients in northwest Indiana this year include St. John Volunteer Fire, South Haven Fire, Town of Cedar Lake/Cedar Lake Police, East Chicago Fire, and Rensselaer Fire.
Over the past six years, a total of 94 projects geared towards community and youth public safety education projects as well as training for first responders, police and fire departments have received grants. “Safety is at the core of everything we do and one of the reasons we continue offering public safety education programs and trainings for the public,” said NIPSCO President Mike Hooper. “We are pleased to support local organizations in our service area whose goals align with reducing safety incidents and are aimed at educating the public about ways to keep themselves and others safe.”
“This year, the grant program saw a record number of submissions and our review committee was charged with the difficult task of selecting recipients from among a pool of many deserving organizations,” said Rick Calinski, NIPSCO public affairs and economic development director. “We are confident that the projects we were able to fund this year cover a broad range of safety initiatives that will have a positive impact on our customers and within the communities we serve.”
Information about the annual grant opportunity is shared throughout the company’s 32-county service area. Recipients are selected after careful review by a selection committee that is comprised of several NIPSCO departments who reviews all applications based on a set of criteria, NIPSCO said. NIPSCO also said its goal is to support safety initiatives as well as consider geographical areas to assist communities throughout NIPSCO’s entire footprint. For more information about the 2023 Public Education and Safety Grant and to see previous year’s recipients, visit NIPSCO.com/SafetyGrant .
The 2023 program recipients received grants ranging from $500 to $5,000 each, and include:
• Cass County Emergency Management Agency – Lithium Ion Battery Response Training
• Elkhart County Emergency Management Agency – Safety Education Events
• St. John Volunteer Fire Department – Carbon Monoxide Safety Blitz
• Boys & Girls Club of White County – First Aid, CPR and AED Training
• Lutheran Social Services of Indiana – Gear Up for Safety Program
• Early Childhood Alliance – AED Trainers and Machines for Learning Programs
• South Haven Fire Department – CO Recognition and Safety
• Carroll County Emergency Management Agency – CPR/AED Training for Public and 1st Responders
• Metz Volunteer Fire Department – Safety Education Events
• Rensselaer Fire Department – NWI Live Firefighter Training
• Dunebrook Inc. – Public Education Program
• Town of Cedar Lake/Cedar Lake Police Department
• East Chicago Fire Department – Carbon Monoxide Safety Education
• United Way of Miami County – School Resource Officers New Firearms Training
• YMCA Northeast Indiana – YWCA Northeast Indiana’s Community Education Training & Safety Program
• Indiana Arborist Association – Indiana Tree Climbing Competition Safety Day
