Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey today announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded a $392,998 Assistance to Firefighters Grant to the Office of State Fire Marshal.
The grant will help the Office of State Fire Marshal provide the most up-to-date training with state-of-the-art equipment.
“I want to personally thank FEMA for providing these funds to assist us in the vital area of fire and rescue training,” said Commissioner Causey, who is also the State Fire Marshal. “FEMA grants help so many of our struggling fire departments that I cannot thank them enough.”
The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program helps fire departments and state training agencies purchase equipment and emergency vehicles and provide training and other firefighting and fire prevention activities.
The equipment will be used in the delivery of the North Carolina Fire and Rescue Commission’s certification and training programs involving firefighting, technical rescue, fire investigations, water rescue and live fire training. It will ensure that local fire departments and rescue squads are adequately trained with the best and newest equipment available to them.
The funding will also help OSFM staff conduct training across the entire state of North Carolina.
Since 2001, AFG has helped firefighters and other first responders obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources necessary for protecting the public from fire and related hazards. Many fire departments within the state of North Carolina have received this grant.