Tennessee grants help area volunteer fire departments, rescue squads

BLOUNTVILLE — Imagine going to fight a fire with a breathing apparatus tank about half full.Thanks to a Tennessee grant program of the Tennessee Fire Marshal's Office to provide grants to volunteer fire departments and rescue squads, Warriors Path Volunteer Fire Department in Sullivan County since January have been able to respond to fire with their breathing apparatus oxygen canisters filled to full capacity.The squad used $56,000 in grant money to buy a new air compressor to fill the modern canisters fully, instead of filling them about half full using an antiquated filling system more than a quarter of a century old.In addition, the Carter County Rescue Squad bought a new extraction tool to rescue people trapped in wrecked vehicles, while firefighters in Johnson County purchased five new sets of turnout gear.It was all part of $786,737.54 in grants awarded to volunteer fire departments and rescue squads in Northeast Tennessee, in the counties of Carter, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Uncoi and Washington. Hawkins volunteer agencies got $166,607.90, while the rest combined received $620,129.64.TWO FIRSTSThis is the first year the program has included rescue squads and also the first year meetings have been held in the region highlighting the grant winners, said Kevin Walters, spokesman for the Fire Marshal's Office that is part of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance. The grant program's inception goes back to 2019.State Rep. Timothy Hill, R-Blountville, recalled at the event that during an earlier term as a state House member, he sponsored the bill that ended up creating the grant program. He said he did so after seeing Johnson County firefighters in Mountain City raising money Saturday with roadside collections in 2017 or 2018.In the first year of the program, he said he was disappointed no recipients were in his then-House district but has been pleased since then. "Whatever I wanted the program to be, it has exceeded expectations," Hill said.Friday's meeting was at Northeast State Community College in Blountville and recognized area volunteer recipients except for Hawkins County, which was part of a recognition held Thursday in Morristown.Walters said volunteer fire departments are crucial since almost 70% fire departments in Tennessee are volunteer units. The meeting and publicity are designed to "drum up interest for the volunteer fire departments who have not applied for money," Walters said. "We want to help save lives."Carter Lawrence, commissioner of Commerce and Insurance and the state fire marshal, said the deadline for applications is later this year and urged interested agencies to go online to TN.gov/commerce for more information on that process.Including this year's awards, all told about $16.5 million has been given out in grant funds. He said the money is a good investment since it helps protect property, save lives and lower fire insurance ratings.Among this year's grant recipients, by county and amounts:CARTER COUNTYCarter County Emergency & Rescue Squad Inc. got $24,681, which Nancy Garrison, deputy director of the squad, said was used for a new extraction tool, new ram, new ram extensions, larger cutters and batteries. No other Carter County responder got a grant this year.HAWKINS COUNTYTown of Mount Carmel Fire Department $13,270Church Hill Rescue Squad Inc. $22,777.50Hawkins County Rescue Squad Inc. $25,605.40Hawkins County Emergency Response Team(Hazardous Materials) $29,050Stanley Valley Volunteer Fire Department $19,905Town of Surgoinsville Fire Department $56,000JOHNSON COUNTYShady Valley Fire Department got $20,360, which Chief Charles McQueen said was used to buy new turnout gear for five firefighters, two new ones and three existing ones whose gear needed replacing. The department has 23 firefighters. "Ours has gone to turnout gear for Shady Valley," McQueen said. "We can't outfit them all at once."Other Johnson County grant winners and amounts won were:Johnson County EMS and Ambulance Service $18,656.64Doe Valley Fire Department $50,900First District Volunteer Fire Department $38,740SULLIVAN COUNTYWarriors Path Volunteer Fire Department got $56,000, which Chief Ben Wexler said funded a new breathing air compressor to fill oxygen tanks. It replaced an old one that could only put 2,226 pounds per square inch or PSI into air cylinders designed to hole 4,500 PSI."We couldn't even fill our bottles all the way," Wexler said. He said the serial number indicated the old compressor was more than 25 years old and that the manufacturer didn't keep records for any equipment older than that.Other grant winners and amounts won in Sullivan were:Bluff City Rescue Squad $16,160Kingsport Lifesaving and First Aid Crew Inc. $29,730Piney Flats Volunteer Fire Department $46,800Warriors Path Volunteer Fire Department $56,000UNICOI COUNTYUnicoi County Search & Rescue $4,560Town of Erwin Fire Department $58,200Southside Volunteer Fire Department $68,275Unicoi County Emergency Management $19,716Unicoi County Volunteer Fire Department $65,951WASHINGTON COUNTYLimestone Volunteer Fire Department Inc. $54,620Nolichuckey Volunteer Fire Department $46,800"We need to get all or our volunteer organizations that have an opportunity to apply," Washington County Mayor Joe Grandy said after the event, saying he plans to bring up the applications at the next meeting with volunteer agencies serving the county.With everything from equipment to vehicles increased in prices, he said volunteer departments and taxpayer-funded county governments that fund them are limited financially.Grandy said Washington County funds seven volunteer fire departments, including five based in Washington County and two, Piney Flats and Watauga volunteer fire departments, based in Sullivan and Carter counties, respectively, because they serve some areas of Washington County.WARRIORS CHIEF LAUDS GRANTSThe Warrior's Path chief, Wexler, said he appreciates the $138,644 Sullivan County appropriates to each volunteer department in the county, plus the fully paid Kingsport and Bristol fire departments. However, he said that even with county and department fundraising, sometimes supplemental funding is needed for a single item costing more than $50,000.Sullivan County Mayor Richard Venable and Bluff City Mayor Jeff Broyles attended the Blountville event. "Tennessee can't operate without volunteers, and neither can Sullivan County," Venable said during the event, also attended by state Rep. Rebecca Alexander, R-Jonesborough."I remember very well the time my dad's barn caught on fire," Alexander said during the event, recalling volunteer firefighters saved the structure.