Three city of Danville departments were among the community grant recipients announced earlier this week by The Community Foundation of the Dan River Region.
The three recipients are the Fire Department, Parks and Recreation Department, and Social Services, which is a division of the Community Development Department.
The Fire Department received a grant of $20,000 to purchase a 10-15 person passenger bus. Fire Chief David Eagle said the bus would allow the department to expand its emergency management capabilities.
The department will use the bus to transport citizens to shelters when evacuations from disaster recovery areas are required. The bus also will be used to transport emergency responders such as during large-scale incidents when a recall of off duty personnel is needed or when special operations teams are called.
The bus, which will be purchased in the next couple of months following a bid process, will replace a 15-year-old van now in use.
The grant for the bus is the fourth the department has received recently:
• $12,000 from J.T. Minnie Maude Charitable Trust for a thermal imagining camera that complies with the standards of the National Fire Protection Association,
• $12,800 from the Rescue Squad Assistance Fund for 50/50 grant to replace aging Toughbook laptops on trucks,
• $35,761 from the Virginia Department of Fire Programs Burn Building Grant fund for general maintenance and repairs at the Danville/Pittsylvania Regional fire training center.
A grant of $13,000 will be used by the Parks and Recreation Department’s special recreation division to purchase service to transport city residents under the age of 60 who need life-saving dialysis treatment.
A grant of $25,000 will be used by Social Services for its “Neighbors Helping Neighbors Program.” This program provides critical and emergency financial assistance to residents for payment Danville Utilities bills.
