Congressman Tim Ryan (OH-13) today announced that the City of Akron has received $7,544,233 in federal funding to hire additional firefighters through the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program. This program is administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

"I want to congratulate Mayor Dan Horrigan, Chief Clarence Tucker, and the City of Akron for being awarded these important funds. I am proud to support our firefighters and help provide the resources to ensure that they are safe, fully staffed, and well equipped as they work hard to protect the lives of our families and friends," said Congressman Ryan. "I will continue to support these first responders who keep our communities safe and will always advocate for increased funding for our local fire departments."

"Akron's firefighter paramedics truly are community heroes—working on the front lines of the pandemic, the opioid epidemic, and fire emergencies across our city," Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan said. "This game-changing grant will enable us to hire and train more firefighters to help add capacity and relieve some of the strain on our existing personnel."

The SAFER Grant Program is one of three grant programs that constitute the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) focus on enhancing the safety of the public and firefighters with respect to fire and related hazards. The fiscal year (FY) 2020 SAFER Program will award $355 million to an estimated 300 eligible fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to assist fire departments in increasing the number of firefighters to meet industry minimum standards and attain 24-hour staffing to provide adequate fire protection from fire and fire-related hazards.

The purpose of the SAFER Program is to award grants directly to eligible fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to assist local fire departments with staffing and deployment capabilities to respond to emergencies. Using a competitive process that is informed by fire service subject matter experts, grants are awarded to applicants whose requests best address the priorities of the FY 2020 SAFER Program.

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