From N.C. Department of Insurance

RALEIGH — Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Wayne Goodwin announced that the Blounts Creek Volunteer Fire Department Inc. was awarded a $7,526.55 grant through the 2016 Volunteer Fire Department Fund from the State of North Carolina.

The check will be mailed to Fire Chief David S. Williams for the purchase of needed equipment. The equipment is purchased using matching funds and must be approved by the Department of Insurance Office of State Fire Marshal.

“Fire and rescue organizations protect our communities large and small across North Carolina, but sometimes their budgets don’t grow with their responsibilities,” Commissioner Goodwin said. “Our emergency service personnel should be supported with the best equipment and supplies needed to do their jobs correctly and safely.”

“I know the Blounts Creek Volunteer Fire Department Inc. will use this money to serve their community even better,” Goodwin added. “Thank you, Chief David S. Williams, for all of your hard work and thanks to your dedicated staff.”

Blounts Creek Volunteer Fire Department Inc. has received a total of $111,033.64 from the Volunteer Fire Department Fund in the past 28 years since the program began. The General Assembly created the Volunteer Fire Department Fund in 1988 to help volunteer units raise money for equipment and supplies. The grant funds must be matched dollar-for-dollar for an amount approved up to $30,000, unless the department receives less than $50,000 per year from municipal and county funding, in which case the applicant shall match $1 for each $3 of grant funds up to $30,000. Since the program’s inception, the Department of Insurance has distributed $113,255,409.34 to volunteer fire departments across the state.