Increase your firefighter staff or volunteer rolls

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) offers grants to help you increase the number of trained front line firefighters in your area, called SAFER Grants.

You can use funds to hire firefighters or to recruit and retain volunteers. Grant funds for hiring work much like the COPS grants, covering a large portion of wages and benefits at first and scaling back over a four year period.

Volunteer departments could spend grant funds in ways that help recruit or retain volunteers:

• Insurance packages such as accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D), disability, health, dental, life, etc. 
• Reimbursement to the member for attending required basic training, i.e., compensation for lost wages, mileage, lodging, per diem. 
• Marketing costs to recruit new volunteer members.  
• Physicals may be eligible if the applicant can adequately demonstrate that the provision of the physicals would enhance the applicant’s ability to recruit and/or retain volunteer firefighters.  
• Explorer, cadet, and/or mentoring programs. 
• Staffing needs assessment. 
• Tuition assistance for higher education (including college tuition) and professional certifications.  Note: Coursework or certifications in this category should be above and beyond what the department typically funds for required minimum-staffing firefighter certification. 
• Length of service awards and other retirement benefits.  
  

The Program Guidance should be out soon, and the application period will be November 16, 2009, to December 18, 2009.

Learn more at the website for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program - www.firegrantsupport.com.