The Caswell Beach Fire Department was struggling after Brunswick County made a cut in supplemental funding. So, they turned to Southport for some help.
The Southport Board of Alderman voted to help out their neighbors over in Caswell Beach after they came asking for help. The B.O.A signed a contract for fire protection for the Town of Caswell Beach starting July 1. “The Board of Alderman’s decision did not come as a surprise. It did come as a surprise when Caswell Beach approached us,” Southport Fire Chief Charles Drew said.
That means the Caswell Beach Fire Department will merge with the Southport Fire Department to get more resources. Drew says this was a result of Brunswick County cutting funds from fire departments.
“The fire department that was servicing Caswell Beach, they had a very small district and a very small amount of calls per year and so there was not enough revenue in that size of a district to support a standalone fire department,” Drew said.