The Fiscal Year 2018 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) application period opens Friday, February 15, 2019 at 8:00 a.m. and closes on March 22, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. (ET). There is $345 million available in federal grants to add fire fighters to departments in need. Career, combination and volunteer fire departments are eligible to apply.
The SAFER grant program was created to provide funding directly to fire departments to increase the number of trained, frontline fire fighters in their communities.
The IAFF is available to assist and review your grant application through March 18. Contact Ron Benedict at (202) 824-1575 or firegrants@iaff.org.
Key Points:
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) webinars will be held Wednesday, February 20 and Thursday, February 28 at 2:00 p.m. (ET).
- The primary assignment of the SAFER-funded position (more than 50 percent) must be fire suppression, which includes staffing a fire suppression vehicle, regardless of collateral duties, in support of the department's NFPA 1710 or NFPA 1720 compliance.
- SAFER will fund 75 percent of entry-level pay and benefits for years one and two, and 35 percent in year three.
- No layoffs are permitted during period of performance.
The FEMA website has several helpful documents, including the SAFER application checklist and a self-evaluation guide. The IAFF Grants Department website has a guidance document, sample narratives and other assistance tools.