Today, Congressman Patrick McHenry announced a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant of $81,852 to a local fire department in the Tenth Congressional District.

The grant will go to the Cliffside Area Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) in Rutherford County, and comes in the first round of this year’s 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. 

“This is the second consecutive year that Cliffside has received an AFG Grant,” Congressman McHenry stated.  “I was proud to visit their station in January to present a check for last year’s grant and to meet with the dedicated firefighters who volunteer their time and risk their lives to protect the Cliffside community.”

According to Cliffside Area VFD Treasurer Jimmy Mason, the department will use the funds to purchase new oxygen packs to replace outdated ones. 

The Cliffside Area VFD provides service to a largely rural area in southeastern Rutherford County.  Critically important, however, is the fact that the department’s response area includes Duke Energy’s Cliffside Steam Plant – the site of a much-anticipated and massive expansion project.  Cliffside Area VFD will be the primary response department providing fire protection to Duke’s Cliffside Project.

Cliffside was one of two departments in the Tenth District to receive AFG funding in the first round of this year’s grant cycle.  Last fiscal year, twenty-eight departments in the Tenth Congressional District received AFG funding for a total of $3,138,123 in funds disbursed.  At least two departments in each of the ten counties of the Tenth Congressional District received AFG Grants. 

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