Cola. fire dept. gets grant to add volunteers

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — City and county officials say a nearly $400,000 federal grant will be used to increase the number of volunteer firefighters in Columbia and Richland County.

The Columbia-Richland Fire Department said Monday it will hire a full-time recruitment and retention coordinator as well as develop a program to help keep new volunteers.

The city received the largest of six similar grants made to South Carolina fire departments. Columbia is the state’s largest city and Richland is the second-largest county.

Other South Carolina agencies receiving grants were the Buffalo Volunteer Fire Department, Horry County Fire/Rescue, the Lee County Fire Department, the Palmetto Rural Fire Department and the Williamsburg County Fire Department.

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