HD16 - Expenditures from the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Matching Grant Fund


Executive Summary:
The Staffing for Adequate Firefighters and Emergency Response (SAFER) Matching Grant Fund provides grants to help volunteer, career, and combination fire departments increase their active firefighter membership. SAFER grants may be used for 1) hiring of firefighters, and 2) recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters.

SAFER requires a non-federal match in years one through four of the grant (minimum of 10, 20, 50, and 70 percent, respectively). The 2005 Virginia Acts of Assembly, Chapter 951 created a SAFER Matching Grant Fund of $250,000 from the general fund to serve as a state reimbursement to VA localities for the first year local matching requirement of 10 percent.

The SAFER application period was open from May 31, 2005 until June 28, 2005, and the first rounds of SAFER grant awards were announced October 1, 2005 and continue to be announced.

Nationwide, the total federal share that was requested was $835,909,950 for hiring, $147,738,352 for recruitment/retention, and $158,204,896 for hiring and recruitment/retention. The average federal share requested was $511,886 for hiring, $146,711 for recruitment/retention, and $503,837 for hiring and recruitment/retention.

As of January 9, 2006, SAFER grants for three Virginia fire departments have been announced, with $800,000 granted to Arlington County for hiring ($80,000 VA match) and $305,000 granted for recruitment/retention to Occoquan-Woodbridge-Lorton Volunteer Fire Department ($75,000; no VA match) and Loudoun County Fire Advisory Council, Inc. ($230,000; no VA match).