Holyoke, MA
HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – The Holyoke Fire Department will be able to hire 10 new firefighters, thanks to a $1,245,940 grant they have received.
The federal SAFER grant, Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, will pay the full salary and benefits for ten firefighters for the next two years, without the city having to pay any expense.
The purpose of these grants, funded with federal tax dollars, is to provide funding to fire departments and national, state, local or tribal organizations representing the interests of volunteer firefighters.
Fire Chief John Pond told 22News that this grant will go a long way. There are about 300-400 fires in the city each year, and the department receives a total of about 6,000 calls annually. The department currently has 115 firefighters to respond to all of those calls.
“In order to have one extra firefighter, that means that a job gets done in the right amount of time, and it could possibly save lives,” Pond said. “We want to keep our staffing up so we can respond efficiently and effectively to the citizens here in Holyoke. So with grants like this, it really helps us out.”
In addition to the SAFER grant, Pond said that the Holyoke Fire Department also received a $200,000 grant that has helped them buy 50 new sets of gear for their firefighters.
