North Carolina’s volunteer fire departments just landed a major cash infusion this spring, as the Office of State Fire Marshal approved more than $12 million in Volunteer Fire Department Fund grants for fiscal year 2026. The awards, spread across 463 volunteer departments statewide, are earmarked for life‑saving equipment, turnout gear, rescue tools, emergency apparatus and critical capital improvements that shore up firefighter safety and response. OSFM said the approved list grew this year after leftover 2025 grant dollars were returned to the fund and redistributed to additional departments.
Approved recipients and the full list
To show where the money is headed, the agency published a county‑by‑county roster of approved awards detailing each department and its allocation. According to the North Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal, the grants are spread across hundreds of small volunteer stations and district departments, with each approved application and amount listed by county. Departments and residents can review the OSFM document for the full breakdown and the approved equipment lists.
Numbers and what the grants buy
Local reporting pulled together the statewide totals and the gear departments plan to pick up with the money. The average grant was about $25,994, and departments could request up to $40,000, WITN reported. That coverage noted the awards are expected to pay for thousands of pieces of turnout gear, hundreds of hoses and rescue tools, roughly a dozen new fire trucks and several capital projects.
How the program works
The Volunteer Fire Department Fund is a state program backed by a portion of insurance premium taxes and governed by rules that often require local matching dollars. Per the North Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal, departments that receive more than $75,000 per year from municipal or county sources generally must provide a dollar‑for‑dollar match, while smaller departments face reduced match requirements and a cap on the maximum award. The setup is intended to stretch limited state funds while ensuring equipment purchases and construction projects meet established safety and procurement standards.
Local impact and next steps
In a Facebook post announcing the awards, OSFM said the extra funding will help departments replace worn gear and move ahead with safety upgrades that had been on hold. The North Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal also linked to the full list of approved departments by county and noted that additional awards this year were possible because certain 2025 funds lapsed and flowed back into the program. Departments must upload invoices and proof of payment by Sept. 30 to be reimbursed, WITN reported.
