Lorain Fire Department Gets Grant; 22 Layoffs Averted
July 13, 2016
By: Katie Nix, The Chronicle-Telegram
July 13, 2016
LORAIN – Twenty-two firefighters are expected to return to work this week following an announcement from U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur’s office that the Lorain Fire Department received a grant.
“Thank you so much for your efforts and in serving your community,” Kaptur, D – Toledo, said in a videoconference with Mayor Chase Ritenauer and Fire Chief Tom Brown Wednesday morning. “You have been diligent in your lifesaving efforts, making a case for your city and as such Lorain will be receiving a SAFER Grant from the federal government.”
The city of Lorain laid off the 22 firefighters in light of a $3.6 million budget deficit, which city officials have said is due in part to a declining steel industry.
With the department receiving a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, or SAFER, Grant all 22 jobs will be saved.
“This is great news and I want to get these guys back onto trucks as quickly as possible,” Mayor Chase Ritenauer said. “Which could be as early as the end of this week. But there’s still a lot of work to be done for when the grant runs out. We need to be ready.”
Kaptur said the grant is worth a little over $3.1 million and is expected to last through 2018.
The grant is awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, and “was created to provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to help them increase the number of trained, ‘front line’ firefighters available in their communities.”