More support for volunteer fire departments in Nova Scotia

March 21, 2023, Bible Hill, N.S. – Volunteer and First Nations fire departments, alongside ground search and rescue organizations, are getting help from the Nova Scotia government to address the impacts of rising operational costs.

Nova Scotia is investing almost $3.5 million to provide one-time grants to more than 340 organizations. Each group will receive $10,000.

Grant recipients can determine how they will use the grant to best meet the needs of the organization, its volunteers, or the wider community. This could include upgrades to equipment or facilities, support for training, smoke alarm campaigns, fire prevention education or honorariums to assist firefighters with increased costs.

“This will help departments with the ongoing and rising costs of firefighting equipment and operational requirements, said Joey Bisson, chief of the Bible Hill Volunteer Fire Brigade in a press release. “Departments are hyper aware of the need and necessity of maintaining required safety standards. The additional funding will aid in this process.”

The organizations will not have to apply for the grant, and the funds will go directly to the organizations.

“Throughout the pandemic, the impacts on the volunteer fire departments to raise funds to purchase new equipment and maintain funds to support operational costs, was greatly hampered, said Greg Jones, president of the Fire Service Association of Nova Scotia, in a news statement. “The financial support announced today is greatly appreciated and will assist the volunteer fire departments across our province by easing the burden of fundraising shortfalls and providing the ability to purchase much needed equipment without delay.”

The grants will be distributed in March.