There's just one week left to apply for a 2010 SAFER grant to secure funding for hiring/training new firefighters or recruiting/retaining volunteer firefighters.

The deadline for applications is Jan. 15, 2010. Important changes that fire service leaders fought for this year include:
• Laid-off firefighters can now be rehired.
• Requirements for a local match and cost-share have been removed.
• The period of performance for hiring new firefighters has been reduced to two years.
• There are no retention commitments for departments that rehire laid-off firefighters.
• SAFER funding can be used to hire someone or pay someone to assist with your recruiting efforts.

SAFER funding has typically been underutilized, but these changes make the grants attractive to more departments. The IAFC is encouraging all departments to consider this opportunity, especially volunteer and combination departments, which have typically been underrepresented in the grant applications.

For more information, visit FireGrantSupport.com or the IAFC Web site.