Forest Grove Fire & Rescue Awarded #227,500 Grant To Hire Firefighter - 10/02/19
Forest Grove Fire and Rescue was notified earlier this month that they received a $227,550 grant to hire an additional firefighter. The FEMA SAFER grant will assist with funding the position for the next three years.
Under the funding formula provided by the grant, for the first two years the grant will fund 75% of the salary and benefits of the new firefighter, and in the third year they will provide 35% of the salary and benefits costs. The matching funds must be approved by the City Council. The firefighter must be hired within 180 days of the grant award.
Forest Grove Fire currently has 16 firefighters that provide emergency response that responded to over 3900 calls in 2018.
This is the second FEMA grant that Forest Grove Fire and Rescue has been awarded in the last two weeks. Earlier this month they were awarded a regional grant for Washington County’s six fire departments valued at $2,999,000 to replace all of the fire department self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). The total amount of grants awarded this month comes to $3,217,550.
This grant is provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG), and is one of the largest AFG grants awarded this year.
The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants (SAFER) was created to provide funding directly to fire departments to help them increase or maintain 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.
The primary goal of the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) is to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters with respect to fire-related hazards by providing direct financial assistance to eligible fire departments, non-affiliated Emergency Medical Services organizations, and State Fire Training Academies. This funding is for critically needed resources to equip and train emergency personnel to recognized standards, enhance operations efficiencies, foster interoperability, and support community resilience. According to the FEMA website, there is $345 million committed to support fire and EMS operations nationwide in this fiscal year.
For more information:
Chief Michael Kinkade
Fire Chief
Forest Grove Fire & Rescue
Cornelius Fire Department
Gaston Rural Fire Protection District
Washington County Fire Defense Board Chief
1919 Ash Street - Forest Grove - Oregon - 97116