DeKalb County was awarded a $5.8 million federal grant, which it will use to hire 30 new firefighters.
DeKalb County Fire Rescue was awarded the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), according to a news release. The grant will fully fund the salaries and benefits for the new hires over the next three years.
The SAFER grant was created to assist fire departments with staffing, response and operational standards, the release said.
“We are excited about the opportunity to enhance our capability to provide a quicker and more effective service to the citizens of DeKalb County,” DeKalb County Fire Chief Darnell Fullum said in the release.
DeKalb County Fire Rescue pursued the grant, which was awarded to less than 1% of fire departments in the country, to provide staffing for new fire stations with the aim of reducing response times. The fire department said the grant was the largest one awarded in Georgia this year and the 13th largest across the country.
The fire department currently operates 26 fire stations throughout unincorporated DeKalb County. The department currently has 688 sworn employees, according to Capt. Dion Bentley.
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