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Lexington County approves applying for Walmart grant to buy smoke alarms
Summary
County fire chief announced a no‑match Walmart Spark Good Local Grant application for up to $5,000 to buy 10‑year battery smoke alarms for county households; council approved the application.
Lexington County fire officials said the county will apply for a Walmart Spark Good Local Grant of up to $5,000 to buy smoke alarms for residents, and county council committee members voted to authorize the application.
The grant application, described by Fire Chief Kyle Minnick, is a “no match grant for up to $5,000” that the county would use to purchase 10‑year lithium‑battery smoke alarms to supplement county purchases and donations, Minnick said. The council committee approved the application on a voice/hand vote.
Why it matters: county fire staff said they receive frequent requests to install smoke alarms and periodically run out of stock. Chief Minnick said the county aims to install multiple alarms per home where needed — “up to 4 or 5 smoke alarms into a house” — to meet recommended coverage in bedrooms and common areas. The alarms Minnick described use 10‑year lithium batteries.
Details of the request and discussion: Minnick told the committee the grant would allow the fire service to “buy smoke alarms to supplement what we buy through county ordinary and what we get donated to, go and install in houses around Lexington County.” Committee members asked how many houses lack alarms; Minnick said an exact count was not available and that estimating would be “just a shot in the dark.”
Action taken: a motion to approve the application was made and seconded; the committee voted in favor. The motion on the record was “to apply for the 2025 Walmart Spark Good Local Grant” (no match, up to $5,000); mover and seconder were recorded in the meeting minutes as Councilwoman Kerig (mover) and Councilman Hudson (second). The committee voted to approve the application.
What the county said it will do next: staff will proceed with the grant application; if awarded, the county plans to use the funds to purchase 10‑year lithium battery smoke alarms and continue installations in homes where alarms are needed.
No vote or commitment was recorded in the committee to purchase a specific number of alarms, and the total number of county homes without working smoke alarms was not specified in the meeting record.
