MONTICELLO – The Monticello Volunteer Fire Department will receive urgently needed upgraded handheld radio communication system under the Georgia-Pacific Bucket Brigade(tm) grant program. The GP Monticello Containerboard presented the fire unit with a check for $10,000 to purchase the equipment.

A record 55 fire departments are receiving Georgia-Pacific Bucket Brigade grants this year totaling $270,000, the largest amount since the program began in 2006. The program has now surpassed the $1.25 million mark in cash grants to fire departments that serve Georgia-Pacific’s facility communities across the country.

“We’re proud to have the opportunity to meet the significant needs by our local community fire department,” said Brent Collins, general manager of Georgia-Pacific’s Monticello mill.

“The Georgia-Pacific Bucket Brigade grants allow first-responders to better ensure the safety and security of the people in our communities, including our employees.”

The grants, generally ranging from $1,000 to $10,000, are based on need and are funded by the Georgia-Pacific Foundation and local Georgia-Pacific facilities. This year’s program applicants requested funds to replace items such as worn out protective clothing, cracked helmets, aging hoses and nozzles and hand-held radios – essential equipment that will help keep firefighters safer and make their jobs easier.

The National Volunteer Fire Council says about 70 percent of the more than one million U.S. firefighters are volunteers. Georgia-Pacific has partnered with the NVFC since 2008 to increase awareness about the grant program.