Pee Dee Electric awarded the Lilesville Fire Department the CoBank/Pee Dee Electric “Sharing Success” matching grant.

Lilesville Fire Department will receive two checks totaling $10,000 — $5,000 from Pee Dee Electric and $5,000 from CoBank — to build a fully stocked rehab trailer for firefighting scenes.

“Currently, there is not a trailer of this type in Anson County,” Fire Chief M.K. Morton Jr. said. “This much-needed piece of safety equipment will be an available resource throughout Anson County.”

Lilesville Fire Department Station No. 3 is a full-volunteer municipal fire department and serves the largest fire district in the county, covering approximately 105 square miles. The department provides fire protection for several major state facilities throughout the region.

The new rehab trailer will be housed with ice-filled rehab chairs, liquid misting fans, rehab tents and will have needed supplies for firefighters on the scene. Studies show a firefighter working at a scene for one hour can expend the energy normally used in an eight-hour workday.

“The need to hydrate and replenish spent energy is a key factor to firefighter safety and stamina on the fire scene,” Morton said.

The towable trailer will be available for use by other fire departments throughout Anson in the event of a large-scale incident.

“On behalf of the Lilesville Fire Department, I would like to thank Pee Dee Electric and the Sharing Success Program for their contribution and continued support of our department’s vision’s and goals,” Morton said. “This grant and donation will allow us to purchase the equipment needed to put this much-needed resource into service, and allow Lilesville Fire Department to better serve the citizens of Lilesville, as well as surrounding areas.”

The Sharing Success grant opportunity is a joint grant in partnership with CoBank, a national cooperative bank. The matching grant program is designed to support individual communities across the country.

“Thanks to CoBank and our board of directors, the Sharing Success Grant allows Pee Dee Electric to give back to the communities we serve,” Pee Dee Electric CEO Donnie Spivey said.

Pee Dee Electric is a not-for-profit cooperative. Its service area consists of Anson, Montgomery, Moore, Richmond, Scotland, Stanly and Union counties. For more information about Pee Dee Electric, visit pdemc.com

Pee Dee Electric | Anson Record
From left: Assistant Fire Chief Ricky Dawkins, Chief Marty Morton Jr. and Donnie Spivey, CEO of Pee Dee Electric.
https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_Lilesville-FD-grant-Pee-Dee-Electric-fz.jpgPee Dee Electric | Anson Record
From left: Assistant Fire Chief Ricky Dawkins, Chief Marty Morton Jr. and Donnie Spivey, CEO of Pee Dee Electric.

For the Record