ROPER — The Roper Fire Department, Inc. announces that it has been awarded $121,433.33 in federal funding through the Fiscal Year 2024 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The grant will be used to purchase new Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) units and related protective equipment essential to firefighter safety and operational readiness.
Much of the department’s current SCBA equipment is more than 18 years old. Approximately 75% of air cylinders expired this year — meaning they can no longer be recertified or used safely in emergency operations. The new NFPA 1981-compliant SCBA units will significantly improve firefighter safety, allowing personnel to respond more effectively to structure fires, hazardous materials incidents, and other life-threatening emergencies.
“This could not come at a better time,” said John Spruill, chief of the Roper Fire
Department. “This past week, we held SCBA burn box training, and two of our packs had
issues. They are just getting old and need to be replaced. These new units will provide our
firefighters with reliable, modern equipment so they can continue to protect the lives and
property of our community.”
The awarded funding covers the purchase of 12 new SCBA units, each including a
harness, facepiece, and two cylinders, as well as additional face masks so that every
firefighter can be issued their own. The total project cost is $127,505, with the department
contributing a required 5% local match ($6,071.67).
“This investment is not just in equipment — it’s in the safety of our firefighters and the
continued protection of the citizens we serve,” Spruill added. “We’re grateful to FEMA
and the AFG program for recognizing our needs and supporting our mission.”
The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program is a competitive national program designed
to help fire departments and emergency medical service organizations obtain critically
needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, and training.
Hertford seeks input on recreation
HERTFORD — The Town of Hertford will host a Recreational Focus Group at 6 p.m. Oct. 9 at the Hertford Community Center, 305 W. Grubb St., Hertford. Let the town know what recreational activities you would like to see in the town.
Edenton receives grant
BELLEVUE, Wash. — T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) recently revealed that Edenton was one of 25 towns to receive a Hometown Grant.
Each town gets up to $50,000 to help fund local projects. In the past, small towns have used funding on projects such as building new hiking trails, upgrading technology at local libraries, revitalizing historic buildings, creating community centers, andmore. The program has led to 169,000 volunteer hours and 1,288 jobs.
Edenton will use its grant to install a mobile stage to boost the caliber of community events, and to provide a local stage rental option for other local organizations and neighboring communities.
Any town in the U.S. or Puerto Rico with a population of less than 50,000 can apply for Hometown Grants by visiting www.t-mobile.com/hometowngrants.
To select recipients, T-Mobile teams up with Main Street America. Grant applications are reviewed based on their level of detail, community impact, feasibility and other considerations.
To see how Hometown Grants are creating change, visit here.
Currituck Committed to Beach Management
CURRITUCK — As evidenced by the Currituck County Board of Commissioners’ recently adopted vision, “A sustainable, economically diverse environment that preserves natural resources and strengthens livelihoods,” the County is committed to preservation of its beaches. A result of that commitment is the development of a Beach Management Plan,
The Beach Management Plan will serve as a framework for the management, protection and restoration of the county’s beaches and dunes, and will address the challenges of mitigating coastal storm damage. During a work session on July 21, 2025, the Board of Commissioners confirmed the goals of the Beach Management Plan.
The beach management plan focuses on maintaining the beaches to provide sufficient recreational beaches that promote and encourage tourism, reduce risk to oceanfront properties from long-term erosion, reduce risk to oceanfront properties from coastal storms, reduce the risk of dune breaching, protect public roads/emergency evacuation corridors, establish resilience planning, and pursue legislative changes to the prohibition of permanent shoreline stabilization devices.
The Beach Management Plan provides concepts for meeting the county’s goals and thresholds for when to implement the concepts. The plan prioritizes the installation of sand fencing and dune vegetation to stabilize and protect the dune system, small sand hauls, beach bulldozing, and offshore coastal structures that limit sand loss.
A grant of $120,568 from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) will provide funding for supplemental storm vulnerability modeling, along with a public engagement and outreach plan for the Beach Management Plan.
Specific information and graphics will be developed to engage the public and maximize
public input, including the scheduling of public meetings. NCDEQ notified Currituck of the grant award in August.
Currituck County will continue to work with its coastal engineering consultant to articulate and communicate aspects of the Beach Management Plan. Additionally, the consultant continues to perform an annual Shoreline Monitoring and Stability Study. The study assesses short-term and long-term shoreline and volumetric changes along the county’s oceanfront beaches. This study is now in its sixth year and prior year reports are available on the county website.
Currituck County also offers property owners sand fence and dune vegetation cost-share programs. For information about the cost-share programs contact Planning and Inspections at 252-232-3055 or visit the county website.