Rural firefighters pack state Capitol but come away empty handed

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Dozens of rural firefighters come away from the state Capitol empty-handed.<br/><br/>The Republican-controlled House shut down Democratic attempts Wednesday to increase funding for

Thursday, March 23rd 2006, 6:10 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Dozens of rural firefighters come away from the state Capitol empty-handed.

The Republican-controlled House shut down Democratic attempts Wednesday to increase funding for volunteer fire departments whose equipment and budgets have been exhausted by wildfires.

Republicans announced their own plan to increase operational grants to rural fire departments and allocate more money to replace equipment used in Oklahoma's unusually long wildfire season.

Representative Curt Roggow is chair of an appropriations committee and says he will speed the bill through the legislative process and bring it to a vote by the end of the week.