VFD in Jones Co. receives FEMA AFG/COVID-19 grant

(The following is a press release from Powers Fire & Rescue.)

Powers Fire & Rescue, located in eastern Jones County, Mississippi, has been awarded a FY2020 FEMA Assistance To Firefighters Grant (AFG) / COVID-19 Supplemental (AFG-S) Grant in the amount of $19,232.28 to be used to procure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for use by the department's volunteer firefighters and emergency medical responders. The all-volunteer fire and rescue department will be required to match the federal award of $19,232.38 with $961.62 in local department funds for a total of $20,194.00 in funds to be expended for PPE.

"We applied for the FEMA AFG COVID-19 grant in order to procure vital personal protective equipment for our personnel who are responding to incidents during this COVID-19 pandemic," notes Powers Fire & Rescue Chief Joey Davis. He adds, "We will be procuring items such as isolation gowns, barrier protective glasses, N95 protective masks, disposable full-length face shields, safety glasses, disposable boot covers, nitrile rubber medical gloves, disposable Tyvek coveralls, and surgical type face masks to equip our personnel for emergency responses in a COVID-19 environment."

Powers Fire & Rescue Assistant Chief Bo Burroughs notes, "Over the past three years, we have averaged responding to just shy of 600 emergency calls per year. Out of that total, we averaged responding to 354 emergency medical calls per year during that same time frame. Our responding Powers personnel need and deserve the protection afforded by the personal protective equipment awarded on this grant." He concludes, "These dedicated community volunteers put their lives and their families' futures on the line with each and every emergency response....and do so without one cent of compensation or expectation of such. They are indeed some of the heroes among us."

Powers Fire & Rescue serves the residents of the Powers Community in Jones County and provides automatic aid and mutual aid to other communities as needed.