FEMA Approves Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (S.A.F.E.R.) Grant Extension

Salisbury Mayor James Ireton, Jr. and Fire Chief Richard A. Hoppes are pleased to announce that FEMA has approved a performance period extension for the Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (S.A.F.E.R.) Grant. The new grant performance period deadline is set for November 26, 2014. The original end date for the S.A.F.E.R. grant was October 16, 2014.

In 2011 the SFD applied for and was awarded $1.4 million, to fund twelve (12) uniformed firefighter/emergency medical technicians. Three of the grant funded positions were to hire three (3) personnel whose positions had been frozen since 2010 for economic reasons.

Over the two years since the grant was accepted, the department has hired nine (9) of the grant funded positions to full time permanent status. These opportunities came because of retirements and other forms of attrition experienced during the performance period. Throughout the grant performance period the department has been able to continually fill the S.A.F.E.R. positions and currently has twelve (12) filled positions.
The City will apply for additional grant funding from FEMA. However, the timing for applying for and receiving these grants has been delayed at the federal level; which has caused a significant gap between the end of the S.A.F.E.R. grant performance period and the ability to apply for and hopefully be awarded a new grant to fund these positions.

“Salisbury will be able to use unspent funds to run the S.A.F.E.R. grant for an additional 6 weeks" noted Salisbury Mayor Jim Ireton. “The city is proud to have been able to hire many (9) of the original grant-funded positions to be permanent city firefighters. I have always made clear that these FEMA funds were grant monies, and would not be available in perpetuity. We are applying in the new FEMA S.A.F.E.R. grant round, which will begin in early 2015. I applaud the work of Chief Rick Hoppes for spending the grant money wisely and securing the extra 6 weeks of service from our FEMA firefighters.”