Rep. McHenry Announces $133,333 Homeland Security Grant to Skull Camp Fire & Rescue in Surry County

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 -- Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, R-North Carolina, issued the following news release on Aug. 30, 2021:

Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10) announced $133,333 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 Skull Camp Fire and Rescue in Surry County and comes in the sixth round of the 2020 fiscal year Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG), which aims to help firefighters and first responders throughout the country. Local departments applied for the grant, which is administered by the Grant Programs Directorate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration.

According to Skull Camp Fire Chief Brian Lowe, the grant will be used to replace the department's stock of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) air packs. The grant will purchase 20 air packs and masks and 40 air tanks. "Our current air packs are fifteen years old and out of date and in great need of replacement. This grant will be an enormous help to our department in bringing our air packs up to current standards."

"Rural fire departments such as Skull Camp serve a vital need in their communities," said Congressman McHenry. "Yet they often operate on very tight budgets. The AFG Grant can be crucial to providing the equipment they need to keep their personnel safe."

A panel of fire experts at DHS awards AFG grants through a competitive review process. Congressman McHenry hosts workshops for 10th District EMS and fire departments to help guide personnel through the process and give them an inside view of what the committee looks for. The workshops are taught by Cherryville Fire Chief Jeff Cash, a nationally recognized expert in his field and former member of DHS's AFG review committee.

Skull Camp is one of three Tenth District departments to receive AFG funding thus far during the 2020 cycle with a total of $425,714 in AFG funds having been awarded among those departments.

Grants will continue to be announced in weekly rounds throughout the coming months.