NC fire-EMS agency receives $1.5M in grants for staffing

By Helen Holt
WWAY

PENDER COUNTY, N.C. — Pender EMS and Fire has been awarded a grant worth more than $1 million to help fill firefighting positions.

The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant (SAFER) will provide $1.53 million over two years to help fill 17 firefighter positions. The grant is aimed to provide money directly to fire departments from national to local levels to help provide “front line” firefighters in communities. At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Fire Chief Woody Sullivan said they currently have three firefighters per engine, the minimum amount allowed by safety reasons.

“One of the biggest safety standards is if we put two guys in a structure fire, we like to have two guys on the outside, and with the individuals we have on the trucks right now we are just not capable of doing that,” Sullivan said.

Full story: Pender EMS and fire receives $1.53M grant