Two volunteer fire departments in Georgia will each receive a $10,000 grant to buy needed equipment and gear. The Double Churches Volunteer Fire Department in Carnesville and the Thurston Volunteer Fire Department in Thomaston were chosen for funding.
The grants come from the Good Neighbor Firefighter Safety Program, a partnership between State Farm and the National Volunteer Fire Council. This year, the program awarded a total of $1.5 million to 150 volunteer departments in 44 states.
Volunteer firefighters make up most of the fire service in the United States. Many small and rural departments face tight budgets and rising costs. The grants will help pay for items such as personal protective equipment, emergency medical tools, rescue tools, and communication devices.
The partners plan to visit 10 recipient departments this fall for community events, such as open houses, fire prevention events, parades, or other local gatherings.
Since the program launched in 2024, it has awarded $2.5 million to 250 local fire departments. State Farm also provided complimentary National Volunteer Fire Council memberships to the first 2,000 eligible applicants to expand access to training and support.
A full list of this year’s recipients and details about the program are available on the National Volunteer Fire Council website at www.nvfc.org/statefarm.
