Toledo Fire & Rescue Department Awarded $820,991 SAFER Grant To Hire 6 Firefighters

Toledo, Ohio (November 7, 2018): The Toledo Fire & Rescue Department is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant in the amount of $820,991.00 from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) / Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The SAFER grant is intended to help fire departments increase staffing levels in order for them to respond to emergencies more effectively. Funding provided from the SAFER grant will allow our department to hire an additional six (6) firefighters to the fire class scheduled to begin in February 2019.

“I would like to thank Mayor Kapszukiewicz and city council for their support regarding the acceptance of the fire SAFER grant. This grant allows us to add six additional firefighters to our department in a time where our run volume exceeds 60,000 incidents annually,” said Fire Chief Brian Byrd. “When complete with their initial training, these six additional firefighters will bolster daily staffing and allow us to continue to provide the highest quality of fire/EMS service the citizens of Toledo have come to expect.”

The Toledo Fire & Rescue Department’s application for financial assistance submitted under the Fiscal Year 2017 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant has been approved in the amount of $1,331,334.00. As a condition of this award, the City of Toledo is required to contribute a cost match in the amount of $510,343.00 of non-Federal funds. The Federal share is $820,991 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency.