Martin’s Corner Volunteer Fire Company Receives Grant

Martin’s Corner Volunteer Fire Company was recently awarded a SAFER grant from the Department of Homeland Security. The $88,700 grant will fund a recruitment and retention project for current and future members of the fire company.

According to Fire Chief Greg Lewis, Jr., the money will be used to compensate current and future members for their time spent at training and certification classes throughout the year. “Our volunteers spend countless hours away from their families getting the training they need to better serve the community. This grant will reimburse them for time missed from work and for gas to go back and forth to training classes.”

Additionally, the funding will be used to provide firefighter physicals on all new probationary members that join the Martin’s Corner Volunteer Fire Company. The physicals will determine whether the new probationary member is fit for firefighting duties and identify risk factors for cardiovascular and other illnesses that can be prevented.

This is the third grant awarded to MCVFC in the last two years. Previous grants provided funding for the purchase of new Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), turnout gear and replacement fire hose. The company’s previous SCBAs and hoses were over 15 years old.