Mount Olive VFD gets grant for new truck

The Mount Olive Volunteer Fire Department has received a $250,477 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to help the northern Chambers County fire department purchase a new firefighting vehicle.

“I congratulate the men and women of the Mount Olive Volunteer Fire Department for receiving this grant and hope it will ultimately help increase safety for all local citizens,” Congressman Mike Rogers said.

Rogers said the grant will be awarded under the 2016 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, a federal program that supports first responders across Alabama and the nation.

According to the Homeland Security Department, which administers the grant, the purpose of the program is to award funding directly to fire departments, nonaffiliated EMS organizations and state fire training academies that are unaffiliated with a hospital. These awards aim to enhance first responders’ ability to protect the health and safety of the public, as well as that of first-responder personnel, with respect to fire-related hazards.