By Henry E. Green
    The Long Cane Fire Department in Abbeville has been awarded a $215,650.00 vehicle acquistion grant.  Senators Jim DeMint and Lindsey Graham and Congressman Gresham Barrett announced recently.
    The funds may be used for the purchase of firefighting vehicles including pumpers, brush trucks,tankers, rescue vehicles, ambulances, quints, aerials, foam units and fireboats.
    Long Cane Fire Chief Jimmy Evans was enthusizstic about the news. "I'm excited about it."
he said Monday (1/25/08).
    "We're going to be using it to purchase a new truck--a tanker truck," he said.
    A tanker truck is a truck used to haul water to a fire scene to supply pumper trucks.  The department is hoping to use the new vehicle to replace a 1980s model.
    The next step in the process is to try to get bids from companies that build these kinds of trucks.  "The department has decided which cab and chassie to go with, and it will be a 2008 Kenworth," he said.
    The department, which will have to supply a five percent match for the grant, was established in 1975.
    "We became a chartered fire department in 1979," he said.  "We have 20 active members, and besides this tanker truck we have two pummper trucks and a brush truck (a pickup truck designed to go where bigger trucks can't go, used for grass and woods fires)."
    The department is one of a number of rural fire departments in Abbeville County, and is based on the eastern outskirts of the city of Abbeville.

LONG CANE FIRE DEPARTMENT GETS GRANT
    "Out station is located off Highway 72," he said.
    Evans praised Abbeville County Fire Marshal Dan Evatt,  Long Cane Fire Department commissioner Eddie Moore, and all the members of the department for their support.
    "I wouldn't be the chief that I am if it wasn't for the department members." said Evans.
    He thanked alson the community for the support they have shown through the years through their donations and the participation in department fund-raisers like hash sales.
    "We wrote four tanker grants," said Abbeville County fire Marshal Dan Evatt Monday, noting that the county was able to secure funding for three out the four grant applications
    Next year, the County Fire Marshal's Office will be again writing four grants for four of our stations, to finish replacing the remainder of our tanker fleet."
    He expressed gratutude for the assistance provided by Sen Jim DeMint, Sen Lindsey Graham and Congressman Gresham Barrett.
    "They each have excellent staffs in tune to helping the constituents of their districts improve fire safety, and with the way Abbeville County operates our automatic aid for water shuttling, these tanker grants will also help our surronding counties of Greenwood, McCormick and Anderson counties.
    All the four adjoining counties work closely together on all fires within five mile of the county lines, he said
    "We had a very successful grant writing season, and as we conclude the 2007 cycle, we are very thankful for the support we have received from Abbeville County Council Evatt said.
   
BACKGROUNG
    The department was granted funding in round 25 of the competitive 2007 Assistance to Firefighter Grant announcements sponsored by the United States Department of Homeland Security, and will use the funding to support Operations and Firefighter Safety , according to information supplied by the legislators.
    The Assistance to Firefighter Grant Program (AFGP) awards one-year grants directly to fire department and nonaffiliated emergency medical service (EMS) organizations.  These awards aim to enhance the nation's first responders' ability to protect the health and safety of the public, as well as that of first-responder personnel, with respect to fire-related hazards.
    The Department of Homeland Security's Office of Grants and Training (G&T) administers the program, in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration(USFA).  The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program includes training, firefighting equipment, personal protective, wellness and fitness, health and safety modifications to fire stations and facilities and firefighting vehicles.

    The grant to Long Cane was part of a $415,000.00 grant package to fire departments in Abbeville.  Ridgeville and Westminster, according to the information supplied by the legislators.
NEWSPAPER CLIPS
Abbeville Girl Wants To Be Firefighter
By Henry E. Green
Katie Pressley, 16, is a student at Abbeville High School. 
She's currently takeing cosmetology courses at Abbeville County Career Center, on her way to becoming a cosmetologist.
But that's not the only thing she wants to do with her life.
You see, Katie comes from a long line of firefighters--her father, Andy Pressley, and her grandfather, Charles "Charlie" are all currently serving or served as firefighters in Abbeville County.
Andy is a member of the Long Cane and Abbeville City fire departments, and Charlie retired from the Abbeville City Fire Department before passing away in 1998.
With all that firefighting in her blood, its not surprising that Katie wants to don a firefighters hat and self contained breathing apparatus at some
point in her life.
But not just yet.  She is currently an Explorer, a member of a firefighters auziliary for young people wanting to be firefighters.
In other words, while she can't actually fight fires, she can assist firefighters at the scene of a blaze--helping take a hose off a truck, for example.
But when she turns 18-- watch out.  She's already certified as an Abbeville County Firefighter, and when she's 18--.
"I'll be able to go into a burning building" she said.
Firefighing is just something she wants to do. "It just hit me," she said.
She's well aware of the dangers of firefighting, but she says if that's the way God wants her to go, so be it.
"I have strong faith in God," she said.
Asked which fire department she would like to work for, she replied that Anderson City is one she is considering.  After graduation from Abbeville High School, she is planning to leave Abbeville, and live in Anderson County.
She has it all planned.  She wants to be a full time cosmetologist, and a volunteer firefighter.
To become certified, she took an 80 hour class, finishing up with "practicals" at a training center in Anderson County traning, and had to pass a 50 question examination.
Abbeville County Fire Department maninternance Chief Paul Parnell, who is also an adjunct instructor with the South Carolina Fire Aceademy, was the instructor for the course.
Most of her fellow Explorers are young men.
"She our First female Explorer," said Abbeville County Fire Marshal Dan Evatt.
"I feel great," she said "Women are equal to men in fighting fires."    
   
Plans to be a fire-fighter--Abbeville High School student Katie Pressley(second from left) recently talked about her plans to be a volunteer firefighter. She is shown here with Abbeville County Fire Marshal Dan Evatt (extreme left) and her father Andy Pressley (second from right) and Long Cane Fire Department Chief Jimmy Evans.  Katie is holding up the certificate she received for completing firefighting, and Andy is holding up a plaque given to his father, the lat Charles Pressley, upon the latter's retirement from firefighting.
(Staff photo by Henry E. Green)