Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Mike Causey announced that the Pine Level Volunteer Fire Department was awarded a $4,227.50 grant through the 2018 Volunteer Rescue/EMS Fund from the State of North Carolina.
The check will be mailed to Fire Chief Michael B Barbee to be used by the organization to purchase 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 Causey 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 Pine Level Volunteer Fire Department Inc., will use this money to serve their community even better,” Causey added. “Thank you, Chief Michael B Barbee, for all of your hard work and thanks to your dedicated staff.”
Chief Barbee told WTSB News the funding will be used to purchase firefighter turnout gear including boots, gloves and protective hoods.
The Pine Level Volunteer Fire Department has received a total of $7,922.56 from the Volunteer EMS/Rescue Fund in the past 29 years since the program began. The General Assembly created the Volunteer Rescue/EMS Fund in 1989 to help volunteer units raise money for equipment and supplies. The grant funds must be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to an approved amount, by monies raised locally to purchase necessary equipment. Since the program’s inception, the Department of Insurance has distributed $32,305,998 to Rescue and EMS squads across the state.
