Today, Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10) announced $9,500 in a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant to a local fire department in the Tenth Congressional District.

The grant will go to the Mountain View Fire Department in Catawba County, and comes in the second 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 my top priorities, and I am pleased that the Mountain View Fire Department has received these funds in the second round of Assistance to Firefighter Grants,” said Congressman McHenry. “This grant will help the department update their equipment, improve operations and acquire the tools necessary to respond in emergency situations.”

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. This year’s awards will continue to be announced in rounds through the end of December.