More than $55 Million in SAFER grants on its way to Fire Departments

March 31, 2010 -- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) yesterday awarded $55.8 million in grants through the Staffing for Adequate Fire Emergency Response (SAFER) program for Fiscal Year 2009.

That is about one-third of the amount of Fiscal Year 2009 funding that the DHS’s Federal Emergency Management Agency is expected to award to the nation’s fire departments. More funding will be distributed by FEMA in subsequent rounds.

In this first round of funding, 48 departments were awarded a grant. The largest grant – $9.1 million – went to the Kern County Fire Department in Bakersfield, Cal.

The complete list of departments that were awarded money is here.

Some departments with substantial layoffs weren’t included in the initial round of funding yesterday, so we are urging FEMA to give a higher priority to those departments so they receive their funding more quickly than departments that haven’t had significant layoffs.

“We understand there is some frustration among departments that weren’t included in this long-awaited first round of funding. However, funding is on the way and yesterday’s grants are a significant first step to help fire departments that are reeling from layoffs and reductions in force as a result of the economic crisis,” International Association of Fire Fighters General President Harold A. Schaitberger said.

DHS received 2,128 applications for nearly $1.25 billion in grant requests in FY09, the department said in a statement.

SAFER grants for Fiscal Year 2010 could be made available as soon as this summer.

For additional information or assistance, contact Jennifer Stewart at (202) 824-8631 or jstewart@iaff.org.