Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $1,259,490 in federal funding for the Johnson City Fire Department to add up to six firefighters. The funding was allocated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program.
“This is an important investment for the Johnson City Fire Department,” Senator Gillibrand said. “When we keep more firefighters on the job, we can respond to more emergencies, keep our community safe and save more lives, and help strengthen our economy in the process.”
“We are very honored to receive this grant, we are very excited,” said Johnson City Mayor Greg Deemie. “This grant will help our staffing levels at this time.”
The Johnson City Fire Department carries out fire suppression operations out of two stations in the Village of Johnson City. They will use the federal funding to add up to six firefighting positions for the next two years to remedy their currently understaffed firefighting corps.
The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants (SAFER), established by FEMA within the Department of Homeland Security, was created to provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to help them increase the number of trained, “front line” firefighters available in their communities. The goal of SAFER is to enhance the local fire departments’ abilities to comply with staffing, response, and operational standards established by the NFPA and OSHA.