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The Charlotte County Volunteer Fire Department has received a grant that assists the department in purchasing a Quick Response Vehicle, according to Commonwealth Regional Council (CRC) Deputy Director Todd Fortune.

Fortune says that the CRC assisted the department in applying for the $44,000 grant from the Rescue Squad Assistant Fund.

“This grant is a blessing,” said fire chief Chris Russell. “Without the grant and the help of the CRC, there is no way that the fire department could afford the vehicle.”

According to Russell, the department hopes to have the vehicle by late spring, and it will be used to respond first to medical, motor vehicle crashes and rescue calls. “It will allow us more access to our medical equipment and more space to add to our rescue equipment that we will be able to bring to the scene,” said Russell.

Currently, the fire department is utilizing a used vehicle as a medical/rescue unit that was donated to them by the Sheriff’s Department. “It (vehicle) is almost 20 years old while increasing in cost of operation and decreasing reliability.”

According to Fortune, the CRC also assisted the Charlotte County Rescue Squad with a USDA Rural Development Grant in the amount of $41,049.60 to purchase  portable radios.

“We hope to have these radios in operation by July,” said Vice President and Captain of the Charlotte County Rescue Squad Bill Mayhew. “This is going to be great and something that we have needed for a long time.”

Mayhew continued to say that the squad decided to seek the grant in hopes of helping the county with costs associated with the new communication system.

In December, the board of supervisors approved to sign a $3.4 million contract with Radio Communications of Virginia of Glen Allen to provide the county’s fire, EMS, Sheriff’s Department, and school system with a new communication system.