WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski, both D-Md., on June 18
announced that the Maryland State Fireman’s Association, in partnership with the Maryland Fire
Chiefs Association, will receive $2,254,670 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security’s Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response program to enhance
volunteer firefighter recruitment and retention efforts across Maryland.
“Ensuring that we have the first responders in place to protect Marylanders has always been a priority
for me,” Cardin said. “From fires to natural disasters to possible terrorist threats, communities cannot
shoulder this burden alone. It is important that the federal government give local communities the
resources they need (to) recruit and retain the first responders that are needed to protect us from
harm.”
“I know how important this funding is to Maryland communities — often it’s the difference between
life and death. First responders protect our homes and communities, and the federal government has a
responsibility to protect them by providing them with the tools they need to do their jobs safer and
smarter,” Mikulski said. “Every day when our first responders report for duty, they don’t know what
they will face. That’s why I fight every year for the equipment, training and staffing our protectors and
communities deserve.”
MSFA and MFCA will use this federal funding to implement a four-year project to develop and
deliver marketing programs that demonstrate the value of volunteer fire responders to local
community safety initiatives and to provide incentive programs to aid in the recruitment and retention
of volunteer fire and emergency responders. The programs will permit local fire companies to
address volunteer recruitment and retention challenges unique to their respective communities. The
funding also will enable the MSFA and MFCA to create scholarships for volunteer responders to
attend higher education training programs and national level training conferences. The programs
developed with this funding will be jointly managed by the MSFA and MFCA with the assistance of a
statewide coordinator.
The goal of any SAFER grant is to enhance the ability of grantees to attain and maintain 24-hour
staffing. The objective of the program is to award grants directly to volunteer, combination and career
fire departments to help the departments increase the number of frontline firefighters and to rehire
firefighters who were laid off due to the economy.
Since 2001, Maryland fire departments and emergency medical services units have received morethan $137 million in fire grant funding