NJ firefighters facing layoffs amid government shutdown

CBS Philadelphia

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Fifty-one firefighters are facing layoffs if the federal government doesn’t get back to work and process a grant for the Atlantic City Fire Department.

The firefighters who received notices this week about the possible layoffs were hired in January and May of 2013 under a federal SAFER grant obtained in 2011.

Chief Dennis Brooks says the department is trying to get more grant money but the federal government shutdown has the application process in limbo.“We were really taken back and surprised that our grant possibilities and prospects were put on hold because the government shut down.  We never thought about it,” says Brooks.

Full story: Firefighters Facing Layoffs In Atlantic City Amid Government Shutdown