Today, Congressman Patrick McHenry announced the awarding of a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant in the amount of $80,185 to a local fire department in the Tenth Congressional District.

The grant will go to the Frank Volunteer Fire Department in Avery County, and comes in the twenty-eighth round of this year’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG), which helps firefighters and first responders throughout the country.  Local departments applied for the grants, and the program is administered by the Grant Programs Directorate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration. 

According to Paul Buchanan, former Frank VFD Chief, the grant funds will be used to purchase new turnout gear and air packs for the entire department along with other firefighting equipment.  “We worked very hard on this grant and are very grateful to hear our department has been approved,” commented Buchanan.  “We certainly thank Congressman McHenry for all of his work on behalf of our department and fire departments throughout the Tenth District.”

“This is Frank VFD’s first AFG Grant and it is always good to see a deserving department’s efforts rewarded,” stated Congressman McHenry.  “This speaks to the professionalism of Frank’s volunteers and the persuasiveness of the department’s application.”

Frank VFD is the second Avery County fire department to receive AFG funding in this year’s cycle, following the Fall Creek Volunteer Fire Department which was funded in the sixteenth round. 

Thus far in this year’s fiscal cycle, $1,596,634 has been awarded in twenty-four grants to twenty-two departments in the Tenth District and at least one department in each of the district’s ten counties has received a grant.

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