- Grady County first responders are getting financial support to save more lives.
- The county was recently awarded over $30,000 through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant program.
- Watch the video to see how that money will be put to use.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Funding is a big necessity for rural fire departments, and Grady County is no exception. I'm AJ Douglas in the Cairo neighborhood breaking down how grants help firefighters here keep people safe.
Just Highland, Firefighter: "Wanting to help my community."
Justin Highland is explaining why he decided to join the ranks by becoming a firefighter back in 2008. Highland says he has seen the need for funding rural fire departments like Grady County Emergency Management Agency firsthand.
Highland: "Everybody knows that a lot of your smaller towns may not have the financial assets to be able to fund a larger department."
Recently Grady County was awarded over $30,000 through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant program.
Highland says the funding will purchase automatic electronic defibrillators for the ten volunteer departments across the county. The American Heart Association reports that nine out of ten cardiac arrest victims that receive an AED shock in the first minute - live.
Highland: "If a shock is needed we are able to shock the heart back in the appropriate rhythm."
The Office of Congressman Sanford Bishop announced that more grant funding will be going to other South Georgian cities like the estimated $450,000 headed to Albany. Congressman Bishop echoes the special need for funding rural fire stations.
Bishop: "Those rural communities don't have the same amenities and tax resources."
Highland says the department hopes to utilize other grants like the fire prevention and safety grants to employ more full-time firefighters in the future. He believes this would benefit taxpayers.
Highland: "If we can replace tax funds with grant money it's a huge help to these communities."
Congressman Bishop shares that over the past year over $2 million of federal funds have assisted fire departments in places like Crawford, Macon, and now Grady County.
