A special meeting of the Crenshaw County Association of Volunteer Fire Departments was recently held, with Rep. Charles Newton and Sen. Wendell Mitchell in attendance. The pair of state legislators brought with them grants for 12 fire departments totaling more than $14,000 from the state, to be spent on equipment and supplies for the departments.

The grants, $1,187.12 for each department, were appropriated last year as part of the state general fund and have been renewed in the budget for the coming fiscal year. During their remarks, each legislator noted there are no paid structural firefighters in Crenshaw County, and the volunteers are often relied upon to perform other duties many take for granted.

The grants came at a time when many volunteer departments around the country are struggling desperately to come up with funding for the ever-increasing expenses involved in equipment purchase and replacement.