ROCKINGHAM — The East Rockingham Volunteer Fire Department has been awarded a $21,179.26 grant through the state’s 2015 Volunteer Fire Department Fund, N.C. Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Wayne Goodwin said.
The check will be mailed to Fire Chief Mitchell Watson to be used by the department 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,” Goodwin said in a statement. “Our emergency service personnel should be supported with the best equipment and supplies needed to do their jobs correctly and safely.
“I know the East Rockingham Fire Department will use this money to serve their community even better,” Goodwin added. “Thank you, Chief Watson, for all of your hard work and thanks to your dedicated staff.”
East Rockingham Fire Department Inc. has received a total of $102,754.13 from the Volunteer Fire Department Fund in the past 27 years since the program began.
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 $30,000, 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 $30,000.
Since the program’s inception, the Department of Insurance has distributed $104,237,382.87 to volunteer fire departments across the state.