COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. – Over the next three years, the City of Colonial Heights will increase its firefighter staffing thanks to a new grant program.
Colonial Heights and the Colonial Heights Fire & EMS has been awarded a grant for nearly $800,000 through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program.
The grant, worth a total of $799,022.40, will be used to offset the cost of salary and benefits for the hiring of six additional firefighters over the next three years.
The goal of the SAFER program is to improve the local fire departments’ ability to comply with staffing, response, and operational standards.
City officials say the grant will help improve response times and improve services to the citizens that may summon the fire department in the event of an emergency.
