Each year, an assortment of grant opportunities are available to local fire departments to help supplement their budgets, and recently the Perry Volunteer Fire Department applied for one.

Fire Chief Chris Hinds says he submitted a request to the Department of Homeland Security through their Assistance to Firefighters Grant. The amount requested was $27,972, which would be used to purchase hoses and fittings. Hinds shares why he feels applying for the grant was worthwhile. “It’s something that we’re not wasting our time putting in for, because we do occasionally get awarded the grant. But again, it’s a long shot because we are competing against a lot of other departments throughout the country. But anything that we can do to lessen the burden on the taxpayers and save some money for the City of Perry, we’re going to try and do. So if it’s a couple hours-worth of work on a grant application or something like that, that may pay off big in the end.”

Hinds adds, there’s no matching funds required for Assistance to Firefighters Grants, and in the past the Perry Fire Department has used the money for things such as purchasing equipment and hiring new staff. To hear more from Hinds, click the link below to listen to the most recent interview with him on the Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program.

https://raccoonvalleyradio.com/2018/12/lets-talk-dallas-county-12132018-chris-hinds/