Md. county fire division to get $8.6M SAFER grant to hire 32 firefighters

By Jack Hogan
The Frederick News-Post

FREDERICK COUNTY, Md. — The Frederick County Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to approve the use of an $8.6 million Federal Emergency Management Administration grant to pay for the county to hire 32 firefighters.

The new firefighter positions will allow the county's Division of Fire and Rescue Services to fill staffing gaps for four-person engine and ladder truck crews.

The firefighters will begin training with a new recruit class on Jan. 30, said Tom Coe, director and chief of the Division of Fire and Rescue Services. Coe said the recruit class is expected to graduate in August and begin working in September.

The $8.6 million for Frederick County will cover the 32 firefighter positions for three years, after which the cost will shift to the county's budget.

The grant is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program.

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