Al Sullivan

The Jersey City Fire Department received a $6.87 million federal grant for the Jersey City Fire Department that will help replace or retain 49 firefighters who either previously retired or whose positions were slated for elimination due to municipal budget constraints. The department intends to hire 30 new firefighters.

According to the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program was one of two programs created by Congress to help address the significant staffing, equipment, training and health and safety needs of fire departments. SAFER provides funding to help pay the costs associated with hiring personnel to maintain safe staffing levels, while FIRE grants fund equipment, training, and other fire department needs.

?Nothing is more essential to keeping a community as safe as it can be as keeping firefighters on the job,? said U. S. Sen. Robert Menendez last week. ?And not only will this funding create jobs and help protect our communities, it will also help maintain safe working conditions for our firefighters, who deserve nothing less than our best efforts to ensure they can perform their duties as safely and effectively as possible.?
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?Nothing is more essential to keeping a community as safe as it can be as keeping firefighters on the job.? -- U. S. Sen. Robert Menendez


Read more: Hudson Reporter - Hot stuff Federal grant will allow Jersey City to hire 30 new firefighters