03/28/2024
Bladen County
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Bladen County Volunteer Fire Departments have received grants totaling $178,170 from the North Carolina Fire Marshall’s office.
State Fire Marshall Wayne Goodwin is responsible for distributing the funds paid by NC licensed insurance company’s on property insurance from the Gross premiums
The purpose of the funds is to assist fire departments in purchasing equipment and to make capital expenditures.  Fire Departments must match the grant on a dollar-for-dollar basis up to $30,000, unless the applicant receives less than fifty thousand dollars per year from municipal and county funding, in which case the applicant shall match one dollar for each three dollars of grant funds.
The eligibility criteria includes:
1. Population served is 12,000 or less
2. Fire Department is all volunteer, with the exception of 6 paid positions.
3  Fire Department must be recognized recognized as rated/certified by the Department of Insurance.
Applications are reviewed and scored, using a non subjective point system.  Areas evaluated are: all volunteer/paid positions, population served, number and age of department vehicles, financial status and type of equipment being requested.  At the time all applications have been entered into the database and scored, the available monies is entered.  The computer selects the applications with the lowest totals score until the available monies is exhausted.
The Fire Department and total funded:
Ammon                   $19,584
Bay Tree                   11,602
Bladenboro               17,718
Carvers Creek            1,919
Clarkton                    30,000
Dublin                       15,715
Hickory Grove          15,827
Kelly                           5,073
Tar Heel                   19,067
White Lake               30,000
White Oak                11,665   

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