The Plain Township Fire Department is proud to announce that it has been awarded a $1,628,441 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“The SAFER Grant is a strategic investment in the safety of our community. It helps increase staffing levels and reduce response times,” said Chair Kerri Mollard.
This grant funding will provide additional resources to hire six full-time firefighter paramedics, ensuring the department can meet nationally recognized staffing standards and continue to deliver the highest level of fire and emergency response to the residents and businesses of Plain Township and New Albany. This funding will also help with staffing the second fire station for Plain Township, which is in the planning stage.
The grant will cover a majority of salary and benefit costs for three years, for each of the six new firefighters. In years one and two, the grant will cover 75% of these costs. In year three, the grant will cover 35%.
These new firefighter positions were planned as part of the 2024 fire levy request. This SAFER Grant will allow fire levy funding to be further extended to provide emergency services to the community.
Fire Chief Patrick Connor said, “This grant provides us with a tremendous opportunity to hire additional firefighters and plan for the future. This strategic investment in emergency services will benefit the community for years to come.”
The SAFER Grant was created to help local fire departments increase the number of trained firefighters in their communities, ensuring they can meet industry standards and adequately protect the public from fire and related hazards.
For more information about the Plain Township Fire Department, please visit www.plaintownship.org.
