Today, Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10) announced $393,094 in U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grants to five local and volunteer fire departments in the Tenth Congressional District.

The grants will go to fire departments in Burke, Caldwell, Avery, Mitchell and Gaston Counties, and come in the ninth round of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFGP), which aims to help firefighters and first responders throughout the country. Local departments applied for the grants, and the program is administered by the Department’s office for State and Local Government Coordination & Preparedness (SLGCP).

“Helping our emergency services one of the top priorities of my office, and I am pleased that the Tenth District was very well represented in this round of Assistance to Firefighter Grants,” said Congressman McHenry. “These grants will help local fire departments update their equipment, improve operations and safety as well as acquire new vehicles and the tools necessary to respond in emergency situations.”

Below are the grant recipients in the Tenth District:

• Triple Community Fire Department, Inc. (Burke County) – $132,905
• Kings Creek Fire Department (Caldwell County) – $12,531
• Newland Volunteer Fire Department (Avery County) – $43,978
• Buladean Volunteer Fire Department (Mitchell County) - $80,750
• City of Cherryville Fire Department (Gaston County) - $122,930

These five awards bring the total number of departments receiving AFGP grants in North Carolina’s Tenth District to 29 with a total amount awarded of $2,553,939. All ten counties in the Tenth District now have at least one department that has received an Assistance to Firefighters Grant this year.