The DeKalb County Fire Department will have the opportunity to purchase another tanker truck thanks to a Community Development Block Grant through the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development which has been awarded to the county.

State Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) and Representative Terri Lynn Weaver (R-Lancaster) announced Monday that DeKalb County will receive $279,518 through the grant. Pody and Weaver made the announcement after receiving the information from the Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD).

The county’s local grant match is $70,000 making the total project $349,518

“These funds will help tremendously in advancing fire protection for our citizens,” said Pody and Weaver in a joint statement. “We are very pleased that these funds are forthcoming, especially because there was intense competition for limited grant money. I also appreciate the excellent work by our local officials in helping to secure the funds and the department’s attention to this needed project.”

The funds were allocated under a procedure authorized by the Tennessee General Assembly. ECD administers the grant program based on priorities set at the local level where community needs are best known.

This was the county’s second try for this grant project. In January, 2019 the county applied for the grant but learned in October that the application was denied because the county did not score high enough to qualify for the grant. The county re-applied for the grant in January, 2020.

With the purchase of this truck, the county fire department will have two tankers in the fleet to haul water to fire scenes in rural parts of the county.