The Bulloch County Fire Department has been awarded a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The grant totals $385,716 and will be awarded over a four-year period. It will assist the department recruit and retain volunteer firefighters.
The Bulloch County Board of Commissioners announced the award on March 3.
"Thank you to the county manager and the board of commissioners for their support in applying for this grant,” said fire chief Ben Tapley. “Their planned vision is to increase emergency services to all the citizens of Bulloch County. This grant allows us to add more volunteer firefighters over the next four years, while we add more career staff, to ensure the Bulloch County Fire Department can meet the growing needs of our citizens and our community."
Funds will be used for several initiatives including head-to-toe Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for new recruits, leadership and career training, various new member costs like physicals and textbooks, and a marketing program for recruitment.
“We appreciate Monroe Consulting and Mrs. Pat Lanier Jones for their assistance in writing this grant,” said Tom Couch, county manager. “And while we are disappointed, we did not receive hiring funding, the resources from this award will be invaluable in building and supporting our much-needed volunteer firefighters.”
The SAFER Grant was created to provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to help them increase or maintain the number of trained, front line firefighters available in their communities.
To learn more about these grants, click here.
