The Tacoma
Fire Department has received notification that they have been awarded $3.4
million from the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER)
program. The grant would provide funding for up to 20 existing front-line
firefighter positions for two years.
According
to Fire Chief Jim Duggan, should the City Council accept the award, the
department would hire and train the new firefighters this spring. In accordance
with the grant’s requirements, the new firefighters would replace firefighters
who have recently retired or who have officially notified the department they
will be retiring later this spring.
“The grant
allows us to hire new firefighters, but does not add new firefighter positions
or expand our current deployment model,” said Duggan. “While the grant does not
provide funding to re-open the station that was closed as part of the 2013-14
budget process, it is a significant step toward maintaining our current
staffing levels into the 2015-16 biennium.”
The SAFER
grant is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security.
