FAISON, N.C. — Suttontown EMS received a grant of more than $4,000 from South River EMC to help equip a recently acquired quick response vehicle.
The volunteer agency was presented the funding through the utility’s Operation Round Up program, which collects small donations from customers who round up their monthly electric bills, The Sampson Independent reported. The money is awarded to nonprofit organizations and public institutions that support community health, safety, education and recreation.
| MORE: Grant funding for community paramedicine: 5 tips for success
“We were blessed enough to be able to get it,” noted Bradley Jackson, chief of the Suttontown EMS in a recent interview. “We’ve gotten help from them quite a bit over the years.”
Suttontown EMS will use the grant to install emergency warning lights on its new quick response vehicle, a former Sampson County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit donated to the agency in May.
Sampson County transferred the surplus vehicle to Suttontown EMS at no cost beyond registration, with county purchasing officer Lavelle Jackson helping arrange the donation. The QRV will allow responders to reach patients faster and begin care in areas where ambulances may be delayed.
Jackson said the grant and vehicle upgrades will help Suttontown EMS continue serving a community that has long supported the volunteer agency.
