ELKMONT, Ala. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Develop of Alabama, recently announced that they are investing more than 1.4 million dollars into Limestone County. The money will go towards rural first responders and towards the county's infrastructure.
David Bowman, a volunteer firefighter with Owens Volunteer Fire Department shared what this funding means for them.
This building has a lot of history, it has been in operation since 1978. And these firefighters help the community, but they also rely on the community.
"We receive some funding from a tobacco sales tax as well as a county fire fee. Other than that the funding is by the donations of the citizens and fundraisers," Bowman said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, is providing loans to two fire departments in Limestone County. One being Elkmont Volunteer Fire Department and Owens Volunteer Fire Department.
This loan means the they can purchase a new fire truck a lot faster than expected.
"The funding we've just received from the USDA is for a new pumper that we need. Our old engine had already exceeded its useful lifespan and through the development and their assistance to us, we've been able to purchase a new vehicle that's a 2022 model. It will be here hopefully by the end of this year," Bowman said.
This department received a different USDA loan a few years back which allowed them to purchase a 2019 truck.
And even though this is the second loan received, it doesn't make it any less special.
"There's probably no way to put into words how that makes us feel when we find out that we've been selected to receive funding support from the USDA because it takes years of hard work by the fire chief, board of directors and many members of this department to bring about the opportunity to even have a loan that's awarded to us," Bowman said.
The purchasing of this second truck, "will serve our entire fire district from the city of Athens all the way to the elk river in western limestone county and it will help us with fire suppression for the communities we serve," Bowman said.
But it's not just fire suppression they deal encounter.
"When 911 is dialed by a citizen, we never know what the call is going to be so we have to be prepared for literally everything," Bowman said.