The extra positions will improve response time and provide extra support for stations.
Frederick, MD – 38 new firefighter positions will be funded thanks to a $5,498,585 federal grant being awarded to Frederick County.
The grant comes from the Department of Homeland Security’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program.
The new positions will result in the county having 453 career firefighters operational at the Division of Fire & Rescue Service spanning 23 combined career/volunteer stations and six all-volunteer stations.
“This is great news,” Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner said. “This will allow us to improve response times, reduce overtime, and to provide some requested support for volunteer companies that we have been unable to this point provide to them.”
The salaries and benefits of the new positions will be 75% funded by the SAFER grant for the first 2 years and 35% for the third year.
“It’s a very competitive grant,” Gardner said. “We did receive the eighth highest amount of money in the nation and the second highest in Maryland.”
Frederick County received a $6.3 million SAFER grant in 2016 to pay for 41 firefighter and emergency medical positions.
“I think it’s a real benefit to the community, not just from a public safety standpoint,” Gardner said. “It allows our local residents see some of their federal tax dollars come back to the community.”
By Timothy Young