Pender EMS and Fire receives $1.53M grant

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Pender EMS and Fire has been awarded a grant worth more than $1 million to help fill firefighting positions.

The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant (SAFER) will provide $1.53 million over two years to help fill 17 firefighter positions. The grant is aimed to provide money directly to fire departments from national to local levels to help provide “front line” firefighters in communities. At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Fire Chief Woody Sullivan said they currently have three firefighters per engine, the minimum amount allowed by safety reasons.

“One of the biggest safety standards is if we put two guys in a structure fire, we like to have two guys on the outside, and with the individuals we have on the trucks right now we are just not capable of doing that,” Sullivan said.

Lt. Shannon Boehmer started working on the grant about two years ago.

“It’s a big strain on us,” Boehmer said. “From the commands, from running the trucks themselves, from actually going inside to doing rescues and putting out fires.”

Sullivan said the extra person will not only increase safety of first responders, but will also cut down on response times and increase efficiency on scene.

“The world is about jobs, and to be able to give 17 people jobs and open that career path that before we couldn’t do because we didn’t have the openings,” Sullivan said. “I mean it’s helping the economy, it helps the community, it puts more first responders on the streets.”

Sullivan said they hope to have all 17 new hires working in the field by January.