Applications sought through April 12 for SAFER fire dept. grants

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is accepting applications through April 12 for a new round of federal grant funding for fire departments.

The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant program provides direct funding to fire departments to help hire new firefighters, retain current firefighters, provide training and education for firefighters, and purchase equipment and supplies.

Career, volunteer and combination fire departments with a “formally recognized arrangement with a state, local, tribal, or territorial authority…to provide fire suppression” services are eligible to apply.

FEMA will prioritize applications from fire departments who seek to improve compliance with National Fire Protection Agency standards. Approximately $360 million is available for communities across the country.

FEMA’s Notice of Funding Opportunity is available online.

In a letter on April 5, Sen. Elizabeth Warren said federal SAFER grants “have been essential to shoring up funding shortfalls that dedicated Massachusetts fire departments have needed to ensure sufficient staffing and provide adequate training.

For example, she said, Belchertown received a nearly $1.5 million SAFER grant in 2022 that enabled the town to hire six new firefighters and paramedics. And the Worcester Fire Department received nearly $23 million in SAFER grants in 2022 and 2023, enabling the department to hire 90 firefighters to address the city’s fire suppression needs.