The Bennettsville Fire Department was one of 182 fire departments representing 40 counties across the state to receive a Volunteer Strategic Assistance and Fire Equipment (V-SAFE) grant.
Those departments represent $5.2 million in funding this grant cycle.
According to Assistant Chief Luke Sides, they used the funding to buy ten sets of Morning Pride Turnout Gear.
The ten sets cost $29,899.80. Sides said each set, which cost $2,989.98, will include a flash hood, gloves, coat, pants, and boots.
“This purchase allows outdated and worn equipment to be updated,” he said.
Departments deemed eligible for V-Safe grants are “chartered volunteer fire departments and chartered combination fire departments with a staffing level that is, at least, 50 percent volunteer” and can receive up to $30,000 during a three-year period.
The grants allow departments to upgrade equipment, provide training for firefighters, purchase apparatus, and more, all to keep South Carolina’s volunteer firefighters and the communities they serve safe.
Sides said the department was pleased to be one of 182 departments in the state to receive the grant.
“This will help our firefighters stay safe while fighting fires,” Sides said.