MOBILE, Ala. - Fire-Rescue Department officials in Mobile say the city must hire another 20 firefighters or it will lose a $2.5 million federal grant.

The city is counting on the money to staff two fire stations it has yet to open.

Fire Chief Steve Dean says his department must have at least 500 employees, its staff level when it applied for the grant in December, to get the grant. He says the department had about 480 employees at last count.

Dean attributes the loss to retirements and employees leaving to work at the ThyssenKrupp AG steel plant, which maintains its own fire service.
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Information from: Press-Register, http://www.al.com/press-register/

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