Photo| Bennettsville Fire Department
BENNETTSVILLE—The Bennettsville Police Department and Marlboro County Fire Departments received nearly $500,000 in grants thanks to the state delegation that represents the area.
The Bennettsville Fire Department will use part of the funding to replace turnout gear and purchase two gas monitors and thermal imaging cameras, said BFD chief Chris Burks.
“Gear goes out of date, it has an expiration date we have to replace the gear that’s out of date and we’ve been having issues with one of our gas monitors. Getting a second one will be beneficial to our operations,” he said.
And the funding will help the department step up its technology as well. Burks said the new camera the department plans to purchase is a model that offers more visibility than the current camera the department has.
“We can go into a pitch-black room and we can see a person due to their body heat and the heat of the fire. It’s a safety issue,” he said.
Marlboro County Fire Coordinator Kevin Hughes said the various county fire departments will be replacing some much-needed equipment, like fire hoses, nozzles, chainsaws, and other rescue equipment. “This money here has a pretty major impact for the fire service,” he said.
Hughes said the grant is making sure the firefighters will have the necessary equipment needed to save lives around the county.
The Bennettsville Police Department received $155,000 in funding. Chief Kevin Miller said none of this would be possible without the work of State Representative Patricia Moore Henegan.
“She is an advocate for public safety,” he said. “This grant for the police department is going to enhance our training and going to enhance our officer safety and everyone who visits and works in the city of Bennettsville.”
Miller said there will be updates to cameras around town and a training simulator for officers.
“We’re also doing a technology upgrade to all of our police cars where they will all have laptop computers,” he said. This will allow officers to write reports while they are out on patrol instead of having to return to the department.
“This is an opportunity to make some major upgrades that we would’ve otherwise never been able to make,” Miller said.
Bennettsville City Administrator, William Simon, Jr. said he’s grateful for Henegan being an advocate for the city and county. “My goal is to make sure we improve services for our citizens, that includes fire and safety these monies are going to help us do that,” he said. “We are excited about the assistance that we are able to get from the state of South Carolina.”
Henegan said when she saw what the public safety agencies needed in Marlboro County and after talking to the representatives of the agencies, she discovered that other counties had things that Marlboro didn’t.
“I was embarrassed that they did not, and it should’ve been that way for years. And they didn’t receive a lot of money in years and years to come up to par. Knowing that we have to put safety first, that’s why I did it,” she said about securing the funding.
Henegan said the work of the local legislators helped to secure the funds for the city and county to make Marlboro County safer.