North Columbus News

Congressmen Mike Carey (OH-15) and Greg Landsman (OH-01) have introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at enhancing a federal grant program utilized by local fire departments. The new bill, titled the Enhancing SAFER Grants for Local Firefighters Act, seeks to improve the existing Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Staffing For Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program.

Currently, the SAFER grant program provides funds to local fire departments to hire firefighters. The proposed legislation would expand the scope of these grants to include recruitment and retention bonuses. Additionally, it aims to extend the validity of fire departments’ applications from one year to five years, thereby reducing administrative burdens and costs associated with annual applications.

The Enhancing SAFER Grants for Local Firefighters Act has garnered endorsements from Cincinnati Fire Fighters Union Local 48 and the Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters.

"A fire in a home or business can mean anything from an inconvenience to the unthinkable. Highly-trained ‘Front Line’ firefighters provide lifesaving service to communities across Ohio. Fire departments’ ability to rely on a strong Front Line, year after year, is invaluable. We are proud to join this bipartisan effort to ensure our communities have the resources and personnel they need to respond to fires safely and effectively," said Congressman Carey.

Congressman Landsman added, "For our communities to be safe, we need experienced and well-trained firefighters on the ground and in our neighborhoods. But right now, with recruits in short supply, public safety is being jeopardized. By providing bonuses for recruitment and retention and making the process easier for our local departments to access these federal dollars, we’ll be investing in our firefighters right here in Southwest Ohio and across the country."

This new legislative initiative follows similar bipartisan efforts by Carey and Landsman from May 2023 that focused on local law enforcement through the Enhancing COPS Hiring Program Grants for Local Law Enforcement Act.

The full text of the Enhancing SAFER Grants for Local Firefighters Act is available online.