$2M grant helps add more firefighters to Iowa FD

By Thomas Geyer
Quad City Times

BETTENDORF, Iowa — Bettendorf City Council on Tuesday voted to accept a more than $2 million FEMA grant to hire six new firefighters in six months.

Council members voted to accept a SAFER grant, which stands for "staffing for adequate fire and emergency response. The grant is offered through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.

The total amount of the grant is $2,053,398.

Bettendorf Fire Chief Troy Said commented in a news release that, "This award guarantees full staffing of an engine company at our Surrey Heights Fire Station 24-7 on all three shifts, which meets a top goal of the mayor and city council's 2022-23 strategic plan.

"Most importantly, it provides better oval service to our citizens in that area and throughout the entire city," Said added. "As our city continues to grow, so does the demand for services. These additional six firefighters will not only enhance our services in the northern part of our city, but they will also help provide future structure to our entire department's organization."

Bettendorf will hire the six firefighters in six months. The grant provides 100% of the funding for their base salary and benefits for three years.

Since fiscal year 2005, FEMA has awarded about $5.1 billion in SAFER grants. The grant was created to provide direct funding to fire departments and volunteer firefighter organizations to increase or maintain the number of frontline firefighters in their communities.

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