Today, Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10) announced $421,280 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 Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Iredell and Rutherford Counties, and come in the first round of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG), 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 Preparedness Directorate’s Office of Grants and Training.

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

Below are the grant recipients in the Tenth District:

• Patterson Volunteer Fire Department (Caldwell County) – $81,490
• City of Conover Fire Department (Catawba County) – $165,927
• Grover Rural Volunteer Fire Department (Cleveland County) – $37,896
• Town of Mooresville Fire Department (Iredell County) - $65,484
• Cherry Mountain Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. (Rutherford County) - $70,483

Last year, there were 33 fire departments in the Tenth District that received AFG grants including at least one department in each of the district’s ten counties for a total of $2,740,790.