Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $402,000 in federal funding for the Deer Park Fire Department. These federal dollars will be used by the Deer Park Fire Department to recruit additional first responders. The funding is allocated through the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program.
“This is a great investment for Deer Park,” Senator Gillibrand said. “This federal investment will help improve the fire department’s ability to respond and keep families safe. I will continue working to ensure our first responders have the tools and resources they need to keep our communities safe.”
“We are very proud and grateful that the grant peer review process has resulted in the Deer Park Fire District receiving a SAFER Grant. We will be developing a comprehensive multi-media recruitment and retention program to attract members of our community to volunteering as firefighters and emergency medical service providers. Becoming a volunteer firefighter or emergency medical service provider is a wonderful way to serve one’s community and we are confident that the SAFER Grant will assist us in increasing our membership,” said Peter Granelle, Chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners, Deer Park District.
The SAFER program, established by DHS, is part of an effort to help fire departments across the country increase the number of firefighters in our communities, including re-hiring those that lost their jobs during the economic crisis. This program awards federal funding to fire departments to help them provide round-the-clock staffing to their communities from dangerous fire-related hazards.