Fla. county receives $4M SAFER grant to hire more firefighters

By John Chambliss
The Ledger

POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Polk County Fire Rescue has been awarded a $4 million federal grant, U.S. Rep. Darren Soto's office announced Wednesday.

The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant will help pay for 30 additional firefighters.

County Manager Jim Freeman said he appreciates the senators and congressmen who helped Polk County receive the grant.

Freeman said he was reluctant to comment further until the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency make an official announcement of the grant recipients Friday.

"We're looking forward to seeing it and evaluating it," Freeman said.

Soto, D-Kissimmee, sent a letter of support for Polk County to FEMA, arguing that the area's drought made it a vulnerable location for forest fires.

Earlier this year during the dry season, two large fires started, one in Indian Lake Estates in February that burned 5,600 acres and destroyed 12 houses and more than 100 small structures, and one in April that burned 700 acres but destroyed no homes.

Soto said in the letter that response time and safety will be increased with the support of additional funding.

The county applied for a $6.4 million SAFER grant in February.

The grant funds 75 percent of firefighters' salaries and benefits during the first and second year, and 35 percent in the third year. Of the $6.4 million, the federal government funds $4 million, while the county will pay $2.4 million over three years.

Currently, the county has about 350 firefighters.

Last year, the county was rejected for a federal grant that would have paid for 18 firefighters for two years. Each year, hundreds of departments apply for a portion of the $340 million in grant funding.

Soto also announced that Orange County will receive $5.3 million in SAFER grant money.

Copyright 2017 The Ledger