Special to Iredell Free News

The office of Congressman Patrick McHenry recently hosted its final grant writing workshop for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) Program.

Since its inception, AFG, along with the other Fire Act grants—the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grants and the Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) Grants— have benefitted thousands of fire, rescue, and EMS departments nationwide.

“When I was first elected to Congress, my hometown fire chief at the time, Jeff Cash, stressed the importance of the AFG program to the fire service in North Carolina,” Rep. McHenry said. “Chief Cash offered to design and teach grant writing workshops for fire departments in my district, and they have been a huge success.”

Retired Cherryville Fire Chief Jeff Cash has served as a state and national leader in the fire service, having been elected President of the North Carolina State Firefighter’s Association, among his many accolades.

“I want to thank Denver Fire Chief Jay Flynn and Lowell Chief Scott Moore for serving as instructors for this final workshop prior to my retirement at the end of this Congress,” said McHenry.

Throughout his nearly 20 years in Congress, McHenry has visited over 130 fire, rescue, and EMS departments. “These are some of my favorite visits,” said McHenry. “You get to meet heroes and understand their impact on our community.”

During McHenry’s service in Washington, 10th District emergency responders have received a cumulative $25.6 million in AFG grant dollars; $12.6 million in SAFER grant dollars and $1.8 million in FP&S grant funds. Departments in each of the eighteen counties McHenry has represented have been awarded grants.

“These grant programs have the lowest overhead costs in the federal government,” McHenry said. “These dollars are going straight to making our communities safer and getting the best equipment to those who put their lives on the line everyday to keep us safe.”