U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced last week $8,121,688 for fire departments across in West Virginia through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This funding was made available through FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program and includes a $1,000,000 award, in the name of the Sutton Volunteer Fire Department, which will bring a new ladder truck for the county.
“Our brave West Virginia firefighters risk their lives every day to protect our communities, and we must ensure they have the necessary equipment and resources to do their jobs safely and effectively,” Senator Manchin said. “I am pleased FEMA is investing more than $8.1 million to support fire departments, firefighters and additional first responders across the state, and I look forward to seeing the positive impacts of the funding. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue advocating for resources to support our firefighters as they work tirelessly to protect West Virginians across the Mountain State.”
“Our firefighters are on the front lines each and every day in West Virginia, and they courageously provide services that we rely on to keep our communities and residents safe. That’s why it is essential that we continue to make sure that these men and women have the resources they need to do their job effectively and safely,” Senator Capito said. “As Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees funding for FEMA, I have helped our fire departments utilize the AFG and SAFER programs to help better serve their communities, and I will continue to ensure our first responders have these necessary resources they need to safely serve West Virginians.”
The grant to Braxton County only requires a $50,000 match which will be provided by the County Commission from ARP funding.
In addition to Braxton who received the largest single portion of the funds: $715,733 was awarded to Moorefield Volunteer Fire Company (Hardy County), $619,047 – Folsom Volunteer Fire Department (Wetzel County), $488,985 – Winfield Volunteer Fire Department (Putnam County), $476,190 – South Fork Volunteer Fire Department (Pendleton County), $431,818 – Bedington Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department (Berkeley County), $404,185 – Tyler Mountain Volunteer Fire Department (Kanawha County), $338,009 – City of Wheeling (Ohio/Marshall County), $320,388 – Jackson’s Mill Volunteer Fire Department (Lewis County), $237,580 – West Side Volunteer Fire Department (Kanawha County), $204,761 – Ravenswood Volunteer Fire Department (Jackson County), $200,380 – White Sulphur Springs Emergency Medical Services (Greenbrier County), $170,128 – East Fork Volunteer Fire Department (Mingo County), $167,047 – City of Saint Marys (Pleasants County), $159,753 – Wilderness Volunteer Fire Department (Nicholas County), $148,909 – Nicholas County Commission (Nicholas County), $145,146 – Keslers Cross Lanes Volunteer Fire Department (Nicholas County), $103,809 – Short Gap Volunteer Fire Company (Mineral County), $84,761 – Mineral Wells Volunteer Fire Department (Wood County), $52,377 – Smithburg Volunteer Fire Department (Doddridge County), $49,523 – Point Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department (Mason County), $47,404 – Maysville Volunteer Fire Company (Grant County), $35,497 – Pipestem Volunteer Fire Department (Summers County), $9,523 – Ohio River Road Volunteer Fire Department (Cabell County), and $1,510,735 – Folsom Volunteer Fire Department (Wetzel County).
