PARK FOREST – The Braceville Fire Protection District will receive more than $20,000 in state grants for new equipment, State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) announced Wednesday.

“Because of the pandemic, many local fire departments were unable to hold fundraisers to make money for equipment,” Joyce said. “These grants will help departments purchase lifesaving equipment, so they can quickly respond to emergencies in our community.”

Braceville Fire Protection District has been awarded $21,690.

The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal awarded the grant to give Illinois first responders the opportunity to replace or upgrade aging equipment they may otherwise not be able to purchase.

The program is an innovative approach to a problem that has long caused difficulties for fire departments and not-for-profit ambulance services in the state, particularly those that struggle to generate the necessary revenue for small equipment, such as air-packs and portable radios.

In total, the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal awarded $3.5 million in grants to 154 fire departments, fire districts and EMS providers. A complete list of grant recipients can be found here.

PARK FOREST – The Kankakee River is a critical asset  for neighboring communities, providing resources for nearly 80,000 people in Kankakee and Will Counties while serving industries that provide many jobs.

For decades, the river has suffered from excessive sedimentation, resulting in flooding and threatening its future. To help address this problem, State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) fought for and won $7 million for local flood prevention and other improvements in his first year in office.

“Since I took office,  addressing the issues of the Kankakee River has been one of my top priorities, because I know how important the Kankakee River is to our community,” Joyce said. “Seven million dollars may not solve all its problem, but this funding will  help people and industry better enjoy and make use of the river.”

The $7 million project is part of the Rebuild Illinois statewide construction program, and the money will be for river bank stabilization, silt removal and flood prevention projects.

ESSEX - The National Weather Service is forecasting major river flooding over the next several days for portions of the Illinois River, including in Grundy County. State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) is pleased that nearly 60 Illinois National Guard soldiers for State Active Duty to assist with the state’s response efforts.

Both Grundy County and the governor have issued disaster declarations to provide additional resources for the local flood response. These declarations will ensure state support to communities that are shoring up local levees to protect against rising river levels.

“We have to respond quickly to rising water levels,” Joyce said. “Flooding is always unpredictable and dangerous, so I appreciate the efforts of the National Guard to support our local first responders.”

The service members called to active duty will see a change in normal operations to address the COVID-19 environment.  All guardsmen will be tested for COVID-19 prior to deployment into the local communities. Additionally, they will be issued personal protective equipment to use while working in conditions where they cannot appropriately implement social distancing procedures, and they will be housed within the community to ensure the virus is not being brought into the affected communities.

Park Forest — In a letter sent earlier today, State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) called on the governor to move Kankakee and Grundy Counties into another region in his COVID-19 reopening plan.

“Kankakee and Grundy Counties are largely rural, with very few large towns and much smaller cities,” Joyce said. “Not many people live in Kankakee and commute to Chicago. They don’t need to wait until Chicago and Cook County’s COVID-19 numbers go down before reopening.”

Joyce’s letter emphasized that Grundy County has a population of approximately 50,000 and that residents of both counties lead more similar lives to the more rural counties around them than to Cook and the collar counties.

“I also represent suburban Cook County, and I understand why those communities are in the same region as Chicago. They’re in the same county,” Joyce said. “For Kankakee and Grundy Counties, it just doesn’t make sense.”