by Leah Justice
Polk County’s Emergency Management recently received a $1,573 fire prevention grant from FM Global, one of the world’s largest commercial property insurers.
Polk County Emergency Management Director Bobby Arledge announced the grant to the Polk County Board of Commissioners during the county’s March 17 meeting.
The funding will be used to help fire investigators more efficiently investigate and determine the cause of fires as well as help in documenting damage assessments following any type of disaster.
Because fire continues to be the leading cause of property damage worldwide, during the past 35 years FM Global has contributed millions in fire prevention grants to fire service agencies. FM Global has also awarded grants to many North Carolina-based agencies, according to a press release from FM Global.
Through its fire prevention grant program, FM Global awards grants quarterly to fire departments, as well as national, state, regional and local organizations worldwide, which best demonstrate a need for funding to help prevent fires or to mitigate the damage fires can quickly cause.
“At FM Global, we strongly believe the majority of property damage is preventable, not inevitable,” said Michael Spaziani, manager of the fire prevention grant program. “Far too often, inadequate budgets prevent those organizations working to prevent fire from being as proactive as they would like to be. With additional financial support, grant recipients are actively helping to improve property risk in the communities they serve.”