The Sumter County Board of Commissioners have been notified by the Department of Homeland Security that they have been awarded a 2023 FEMA SAFER grant to purchase 22 complete sets of Turn Out gear and 90 Full Self-Contained Breathing Apparatuses for the safety and protection
of the county’s firefighters.

The County has been applying for this grant for the past two years with the knowledge that the current equipment was becoming obsolete and that we were going to have to rely on the taxpayers to provide the equipment if grant funding could not be found.

Fire Chief Jerry Harmon said that this “is a dream come true. We applied for this grant several years in a row and are finally successful. The current equipment would not have lasted much longer. Thanks to the Commissioners for their support and Mr. Eaves for his efforts”

The award is the third largest to date of the 700 announced nationwide awards. Robert Davidson was the grant writer for the project. County Administrator Doug Eaves wants to thank our elected Representative and Senators for their support. “This award will enable the county to protect the safety of our employees, continue to provide top-notch fire protection to our citizens, and utilize our revenues for other county services. It was a tremendous endeavor to obtain this award. We appreciate the tremendous effort and tenacity of Chief Harmon.”

The County is required to provide an additional five % match of $46,943 that will bring the total funds available to support our efforts to $985,800. These funds will be budgeted from the County Special Fire District.