1. Fund established. The Firefighter Safety Equipment Fund, referred to in this section as “the fund,” is established under the commission as a nonlapsing fund to provide funds to allow fire departments to purchase and install diesel vehicle exhaust systems and heavy duty extractor washing machines.

2. Grant program. The commission shall establish criteria to award grants to fire departments from the fund. The commission may adopt rules to implement this subsection. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in chapter 375, subchapter 2?A.

3. Procedure. A fire department may apply to the commission for grants. The commission shall evaluate each application pursuant to the criteria developed pursuant to subsection 2 and, to the extent funds are available, shall award grants from the fund.