PRINCETON, WV (WVNS)– Volunteer Fire Departments in Mercer County are in dire need of funding ever since the COVID-19 epidemic.

With price increases and supply shortages following COVID, these departments have struggled to afford their overall expenses.

The president of the Mercer County Fireman’s Association requested $450,000 from county commissioners to split evenly across all nine Volunteer Fire Departments in the county. These funds would help cover the cost of fire and medical equipment, fuel costs, and general maintenance.

Bill Archer, the President of Mercer County Commission, said they have already made some contributions to help all fire departments, and that these volunteers are a vital part of the community.

“We as a commission will try to do our darndest to get them in shape to be successful in the future and also to address their immediate needs,” said Archer.

Archer said they plan to discuss how to help the Volunteer Fire Departments in a future county commission meeting.