The Jones County Volunteer Fire Department has received two more grants as part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG).
Lance Chancellor, Jones County Fire Council public information officer, said Friday that Powers and Sharon VFDs received more than $300,000 in grant funds.
“We’re overjoyed,” said Chancellor, who’s also part of the Powers department. “Chief Brent Broadway, president Latrelle Knight along with members and firefighters of Powers received one of the grants we applied for.”
Chancellor said the $112,471 grant, which requires a roughly $5,900 local match, will purchase much needed replacement fire hoses, eight self-contained breathing apparatus, 13 handheld portable radios, a fire pump system for an existing tanker and training funds.
Sharon VFD received a $190,000 grant to purchase a new tanker, Chancellor said.
“We’ve been very fortunate in the county over the past few weeks,” he said. “Just in the last month, we’ve received over $360,000 in federal grants for fire departments in Jones County. Hopefully, others we applied for will be successful as well.”
Chancellor said the grants are vital for a number of reasons including providing much needed equipment.
“These are federal tax dollars paid into by residents of Jones County that are coming back into the county,” he said. “It also provides for the safety of firefighters and the citizens we protect.
“In addition, volunteer firefighters typically operate on a bare bones budget,” Chancellor added. “During these economic times, there’s no such thing as asking for tax increases. Donations are also down because people are struggling. We rely on those grants for desperately needed equipment.”
Chancellor noted that over the past five years, Jones County has received approximately $4 million in federal grant money.
“That’s money that the Board of Supervisors, water associations and citizens didn’t have to come up with to buy new trucks or new equipment,” he said. “We’ve been very aggressive in this county.”
In a combined press release by U.S. Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Cochran said, “I am pleased that Mississippi fire departments have successfully applied for these FEMA resources. This grant funding will supplement local resources to improve the overall public safety.
Added Wicker, “The important service provided by Mississippi’s firefighters keeps our communities safe. I appreciate FEMA approving these funds, which will help equip our firefighters with the tools they need to do their jobs and help protect the public.”
Local News
Local VFDs receive more grant money
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