Stabenow, Peters Announce $200,000 for New Staff at Ida Township Fire Department

IDA, MI - U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (MI) and Gary Peters (MI) today announced that the Ida Township Fire Department will receive $200,000 to staff their volunteer fire department during the daytime hours, Monday to Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM. This funding comes from the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program.

“Our firefighters put their lives on the line to protect our families, homes, and communities,” said Senator Stabenow. “These new resources will help the Ida Township Fire Department make sure there is always someone there to answer the call in an emergency.”

“It’s critical that fire departments have the resources needed to protect their communities,” said Senator Peters. “I’m proud to have helped secure this funding for Ida Township to staff their volunteer fire department during daytime hours in the week so they can continue to safely and effectively respond to emergencies.”

“Due to the challenge of providing fire and EMS response while most volunteer firefighters work their full-time jobs, we had to find new ways to meet the community needs. The SAFER award allows two part-time personnel to staff the fire station Monday thru Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. which is statistically when we have the fewest responders for calls. Having two personnel on station drastically reduces our response times and improves our service delivery model. We would like to express our thanks to our elected officials for continuing to support public safety grant programs like SAFER, and specifically Senators Stabenow and Peters for support on our application,” said Carl Arnold, Captain, Ida Township Fire Department.

More information about this grant program can be found at: https://www.fema.gov/grants/preparedness/firefighters/safer#awards

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