BRANTLEY COUNTY, Ga. — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and other Georgia state officials visited Brantley County on Tuesday to award $105,000 dollars in grant money to local fire stations involved in the multiple wildfires that devastated the southern part of the state in the spring.
The Highway 82 Fire spanned over 20,000 acres and destroyed over 100 homes in Brantley County.
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The Pineroad Fire destroyed thousands of acres in mainly Echols and Clinch counties.
The money was awarded to the seven fire departments in the hardest hit counties.
Those departments include the 5 fire stations in Brantley County, 1 in Echols County and 1 in Clinch County.
Kemp said each department will get $15,000 dollars through the volunteer fire assistance program administered by the Georgia Forestry Commission.
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The VFA grant is a 50-50 match program where the rural departments have to pay for approved equipment first before they are reimbursed by Georgia Forestry for 50%.
What’s different in this case is that the Georgia Forestry Commission suggested that the state use the privately donated funds they received in the wake of these fires, to help these rural fire departments access the 50-50 match.
“That is the least that we can do for all that they did to help their neighbors, their friends, and their local communities during, at the time, the two worst wildfires in the country literally within 60 miles of each other,” Kemp said.
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Kemp was joined by Georgia Forestry Commission Director Johnny Sabo; representatives from fire departments in Echols, Clinch, and Brantley counties; and local officials, including Brantley County Manager Joey Cason.
Georgia officials say this money will be used for new firefighting equipment among other things.
“What they’re offering to help is going to help us get extra PPE, and the trucks, and upgrade the trucks we have,” Chief Marty Lee, President of the Brantley County Fireman’s Association, said.
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