It’s a state program that benefits all the state.

The Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Assistance Grant from the Mississippi Department of Insurance provides money to rural volunteer fire departments, helping them purchase new pumpers and tankers and equipment enabling them to better protect their friends, neighbors and families from fire. Monday, the Bovina Volunteer Fire Department became the latest beneficiary of the program as state Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney presented a $70,000 check, symbolizing the amount of grant money provided to help purchase a new $280,000 pumper/tanker for the department.

Chaney said the money from the grant comes from a special fund composed of a fee paid by homeowners when they purchase their homeowners insurance that is set aside for special programs.

“This is one of the best programs we have,” he said, adding since 1994, the state’s match for equipment under the grant program totaled $650,000 in Warren County.

Programs like the acquisition grant program are crucial to county volunteer departments like Bovina, Culkin, Fisher Ferry, LeTourneau, Eagle Lake and Northeast, because unlike municipal fire departments, which benefit from a city’s dual income of sales and property taxes, rural departments must survive on special millage rates levied on the property owners in their specific districts. And that means they have to keep a tight rein on spending, at times having to do without an apparatus or a piece of equipment that might help them do a better job.

And with a Class A pumper or a good tank truck to carry water costing in some cases in excess of $100,000, any kind of financial help is a boom to a department. Money from the acquisition program does more than just provide extra money for a new truck or other equipment. It can free up other money in a department’s budget to help firefighters get other equipment they need.

“Getting this match also helped us to get new breathing systems and air tanks, which is very important,” said assistant Bovina fire chief Tim Bordelon. “This grant allowed us to spread the money around and get equipment.”

Warren County Fire Coordinator Jerry Briggs said the acquisition of the new truck means something else for Bovina.

“This will really help with the expansion of Bovina’s district,” he said. “We were able to lower Bovina’s fire insurance rating from 10, which is the lowest, to an eight, which saved homeowners 40 percent on their fire insurance. We expect the state Fire Insurance Rating inspectors to be in Bovina soon, and they could drop the rating to a 6, with the addition of this truck.”

Volunteer firefighters are a special breed. They’re not paid for what they do, but they’re willing to risk their lives to help others because they care about their community and their neighbors.

Programs like the Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Assistance Grant program are one way to repay these men and women for the services they provide. And we need more programs like it.