According to a report from NewsOfOrangeCounty, the Caldwell (NC) Fire Department (CFD) recently received a zero-interest $400,000 loan to assist in purchasing a new front-live fire apparatus. Piedmont Electric Cooperative is also helping play a role in the purchase by facilitating a loan funded from the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG) program.
The new apparatus will replace the department’s 1994 front-line engine and increase life- and property-saving assistance across the CFD’s 45-square-mile district. The CFD is an all-volunteer agency with 38 total members and responds to approximately 260-330 calls per year.
CFD Chief Brad Allison said the front-line apparatus will serve as a primary on every structure fire as well as other calls. He said the department is now in the process of building its second fire station to better protect their citizens and lower ISO ratings.
The USDA’s REDLG program provides zero-interest funds from the federal government to local electric cooperatives, who then lend out the money to local entities for projects that support rural areas.
Over the past several years, Piedmont Electric has secured more than $14 million in USDA funding for the North Carolina counties of Orange, Alamance, Caswell, Durham, Granville, and Person. The funding went toward the purchase of fire apparatus and stations, ambulances, schools, a public library, and a Habitat for Humanity warehouse. As the funds are repaid, they are reloaned to help pay for future projects within communities served by Piedmont Electric.