05/19/2026
We are so thankful for this donation to help keep our firefighters safe! We really appreciate it. Thank you again The Phoenix Project 780!
Sometimes, pulling off a surprise is actually doable. And last night, on Monday May 18th, we were able to pull off a good one…
Just outside of Rocky Mount, N.C., you will find the small town of Battleboro. Located in Nash County, the Battleboro Community Volunteer Fire Department has a mix of 31 volunteer and paid firefighters that respond to just under 5,000 citizens while covering roughly 17 square miles. A few months ago, B.F.D. applied for the Phoenix Rising Initiative. In March, their board stepped up their commitment to ensuring firefighter safety by implementing a decontamination policy, which opened the door for us to be able to donate mitigation supplies to their department.
Last night, Battleboro Fire Department received the monthly Phoenix Rising Grant for May 2026. The fire department, chartered on May 16, 1948, has never had the ability to wash turnout gear unless it involved scrubbing it by hand or transporting dirty gear to a neighboring department. 78 years as a department. Of serving the citizens of Nash County. Of showing up in the worst of times. And last night, we were able to show up for them and surprise them with the news that we are donating an extractor to their department. We are so thankful to once again be working with AEST Inc. as we move forward with this project and cannot wait for the extractor to be installed. Having access to an extractor is crucial for firefighters to be able to safely and effectively clean their gear of the carcinogens and contaminates they encounter on calls.
The donation, valued at $10,000.00, includes a Circul-Air Express 22lb Soft Mount Commercial Grade Extractor, a wiring harness with an automatic dosing pump, 112 Responder Wipes, 7.25 gallons of CitriSqueeze turn out gear cleaner, 1.25 gallons of SC-14 equipment cleaner, 40 gear transport garbage bags, 300 protective gloves, 3 rolls of duct tape, 2 bottles of Responder Charcoal Body Wash, and replacement hose for the extractor. Thanks to those of you who donated towards the install, we were also able to cover all the additional hook-up costs that were needed to complete the installation.
It felt very fitting to make this donation in memory of Chief James “Eddie” Hardee Jr. Chief Hardee became involved in fire services as a teenager when his father helped establish the Battleboro Fire Department. He went on to spent more than 49 years in fire services, serving 42 of those years as the fire chief for Battleboro Fire Department, then serving as the board president. Saying the department was a part of him would truly be an understatement. Chief Hardee passed away at the age of 68, less than 4 weeks after his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer.
I know it is said all the time, but we could not do the work we do without the support of others! For every merch purchase, donation, share/like, in-kind supply donation, corporate sponsorship- THANK YOU! Truly, we couldn’t do it without you! If you would like to support our mission by donating or purchasing merch, you can do that through the website or send us a message here on FB and we can get you squared away! If your department is interested in applying for a Phoenix Rising grant, the application can be found on our website.
