Groveland Fire Department will be hiring its first two full-time firefighters in its history thanks to a nearly $500,000 Federal Emergency Management Agency grant.
Fire Chief Robert Valentine said Wednesday the “Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response,” or SAFER, grant covers the salaries and benefits of two over the next three years. The department has historically been a call department.
“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,” Valentine said. He thanked Groveland’s Board of Selectmen, state Sen. Bruce Tarr, state Rep. Leonard Mirra and Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey for their support in obtaining the grant.
The SAFER grant in intended 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.