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The Clemmons Courier
By Elizabeth Showalter

The next time the Clemmons Fire Department sends firefighters to respond to a call, they will be protected by state-of-the-art self-contained breathing apparatus, quite an upgrade from the 20 year-old models they had been relying on.

The 25 air packs, each costing approximately $3,500, were purchased with a $78,000 grant from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program administered by the United States Department of Homeland Security.

“We would have had to buy new air packs eventually, but without the grant, it would have taken us five or six years to buy all of them,” explained Clemmons Fire Chief Jerry Brooks.

A total of $1,052,000 was granted to Clemmons and 10 other local fire departments, including the Forsyth County Rural Fire Departments of Griffith, Lewisville, Gumtree, Mineral Springs, Forest Hill, Salem Chapel, and the Forsyh County Fire Department, as well as the Town of Kernersville Fire Department, the Town of King Fire Department, and the City of Winston-Salem Fire Department.

In order to be considered for a grant, departments have to complete an extensive application process illustrating and justifying their need for funding. In addition, they must explain what they will purchase with the grant and must be able to pay 10 percent of the total cost. If a department receives a grant, that will cover the other 90 percent.

Senator Richard Burr and Representative Virginia Foxx were on hand last Wednesday, July 6 to accept thanks from the grant recipients and to get a firsthand look at their new equipment. Among the items on display were a complete outfit of protective clothing, a self-contained breathing apparatus, a thermal imaging camera, and a pumper truck, all purchased with grant funds.

Chief Brooks thanked Representative Foxx and Senator Burr for their instrumental roles in helping the departments receive the grants. “We are very grateful for all the support you have shown us,” he said.

Burr responded, “The thanks needs to go both ways, Chief. You all do a great deal for us.”

He continued, “What you see here is the fact that every home and firefighter in this area is safer because of the fire grants.” Burr noted that several pieces of equipment purchased with grant money were manufactured by North Carolina companies.

Representative Foxx also had words of praise for the fire departments. “I want to compliment all these departments for planning ahead and requesting what they needed in priority fashion,” she said. “They are real models of planning and collaboration.”

Foxx explained that the various departments in the county incorporated the entire area’s needs and how those needs could be collectively met before applying for the grants. “Everything fit into the larger plan created by the leadership of the departments,” she explained.

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program aids rural, urban, and suburban fire departments throughout the United States. To date, 236 grants totaling $22,360,000 have been awarded in North Carolina.