Congresswoman Kay Granger (TX-12) announced today that the Fort Worth Fire Department is the recipient of a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) federal grant.

The Fort Worth Fire Department will receive $3,389,040.00. The grant can be used to increase or maintain the number of trained “front line” firefighters available in local communities.

“The Fort Worth Fire Department is a worthy recipient of this SAFER grant. This grant program assists communities across the country to ensure they have enough trained firefighters on duty to meet the many demands placed on our first responders,” said Granger. “This grant is an investment in the future of Fort Worth. As Fort Worth continues to grow, it’s of vital interest to make sure our increase in population is equally met with the appropriate number of fire and emergency response personnel on duty at any given time.”

SAFER grants assist fire departments by increasing the number of frontline firefighters. The goal is for fire departments to increase their staffing and deployment capabilities and ultimately attain 24-hour staffing, thus ensuring their communities have adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards.

The SAFER program is managed and administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Grant Program Directorate and supports several critical specific activities including the rehiring of laid-off firefighters, the retention of firefighters facing layoff, the hiring of new firefighters, and recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters. Grants are used to pay the salaries and benefits of firefighters hired with grant funds over the 2-year award performance period.