The Englewood Hulls Volunteer Fire Department in Tuscaloosa County was awarded $5,000 for the purchase of new safety equipment. The funds come as a matched amount of a grant the department received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Fire Chief Phillip Johnson said that the department relies on donations to acquire new and maintain old gear. Johnson said that this money will be used to finance 23 sets of turnout gear as well as a new cascade system to fill up breathing apparatus bottles.
“The funding from the county is just a major breakthrough for us and any department in the county that needs help,” Johnson said. “For volunteers we don’t get paid, we don’t receive any money, we don’t have a tax basis to give us money for our regular expenses. The only thing we get is what’s donated to the department.”