Chief Robert Valentine is pleased to announce that the Groveland Fire Department was awarded a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant to hire two full-time firefighters, who will be the first full-time members in the department’s history.
Groveland Fire, which has historically been a call department, received a FEMA Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant in the amount of $464,490 to cover the salaries and benefits of two new full-time firefighters.
Funding Local Fire Departments
The grant will be used to fund the costs related to filling two full-time positions for three years.
The FEMA SAFER grant was developed to provide funding to local and volunteer fire departments to increase or maintain their firefighter staffing levels. SAFER grants supplement fire departments’ budgets in order to help them comply with staffing requirements set by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
Grant Assures Adequate Staff
“We are extremely grateful to FEMA for awarding us this grant and helping our department make this tremendous step forward. I would like to thank the Board of Selectmen for their support on this project, as well as State Senator Bruce Tarr, State Rep. Lenny Mirra, and Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey for all their support in helping us receive this grant,” Fire Chief Robert Valentine said.
“As the town grows, the need for first responders increases, and this grant will help ensure our department is adequately staffed to keep our community safe.”
