Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
RALEIGH — North Carolina Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Wayne Goodwin announced that Ellerbe Fire Department has been awarded a $29,429.50 grant through the state’s 2015 Volunteer Fire Department Fund.
Chief William Barber will use the funds to purchase needed equipment. The equipment is purchased using matching funds and must be approved by the Department of Insurance Office of State Fire Marshal.
“Fire and rescue organizations protect our communities large and small across North Carolina, but sometimes their budgets don’t grow with their responsibilities,” Good said in a news release. “Our emergency service personnel should be supported with the best equipment and supplies needed to do their jobs correctly and safely.”
The Ellerbe Fire Department has received $190,066.74 from the Volunteer Fire Department Fund over the past 27 years. The General Assembly created the fund in 1988 to help volunteer units raise money for equipment and supplies. The grand funds must be matched dollar for dollar for an amount approved, up to $30,000, unless the department receives less than $50,000 per year from municipal and county funding. In that case, the applicant shall match $1 for each $3 of grant funds up to $30,000.
Since the program’s inception, the Department of Insurance has distributed $104,237,382.87 to volunteer fire departments across the state.
Discussion