Federal grant may rescue Oklahoma City firefighters' jobs

By Bryan Dean
The Oklahoman

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City is considering a federal grant program to save 29 firefighter positions cut in the city's last budget.

City Manager Jim Couch said Tuesday the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program has about $420 million to offer to cities to help them increase their number of firefighters. The deadline to apply for the grants is Sept. 17.

Couch said the city will likely apply, but he cautioned that there is a catch. If the city gets the grant, it will be required to maintain its current staffing level in the fire department for the two years the grant pays for the positions. If revenues declined and the city cut more firefighter positions, it would forfeit the grant.

That requirement could be a problem because the city used temporary funds to keep from cutting an additional 45 firefighter positions this year. Sales tax revenue has improved since the fiscal year began in July, but if that recovery doesn't continue, the city could be hard-pressed to find the money for those 45 positions.

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