Fourteen fire departments in Duplin County awarded with grant

The 2024 Volunteer Fire Department Fund from the State of North Carolina has awarded fourteen Duplin County fire departments with a grant on May 15.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal approves the funds for equipment to be purchased for the awardees. Funds were allocated in different amounts to several departments in Duplin County.

State Fire Marshal Brian Taylor shared more information about the support that this grant provides to departments.They are required by state law to provide a Volunteer Fire Department Fund. The grant supports eligible fire departments that are fully volunteer based through funding for communication and safety equipment, truck gear, and turnout gear.

“Fire and rescue organizations protect our communities large and small across North Carolina, but sometimes their budgets don’t grow with their responsibilities,” Taylor said. “A lot of these departments have smaller budgets and it’s very difficult for them to keep up with the replacement cost. Our emergency service personnel should be supported with the best equipment and supplies needed to do their jobs correctly and safely.”

The grant has expanded to offering up to $40,000 this year. “We funded a little over thirteen million dollars to fire departments across the state — a little over five hundred fire departments,” he said.

The General Assembly created the Volunteer Fire Department Fund in 1988 to help volunteer units raise money for equipment and supplies. The grant funds must be matched dollar-for-dollar for an amount approved up to $40,000, unless the department receives less than $50,000 per year from municipal and county funding, in which case the applicant shall match $1 for each $3 of grant funds up to $40,000. Since the program’s inception, the Office of State Fire Marshal has distributed $177,891,669.10 to volunteer fire departments across the state with Duplin County receiving $302,076.16 in total this round.