Haddon Heights, NJ – This week, Congressman Rob Andrews joined State Senator Donald Norcross (D-5) and Camden City Mayor Dana Redd to announce that over $5 million had been awarded to the City of Camden to rehire over half of the firefighters laid-off last month. The funds were awarded through the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program of the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a program that provides $420 million in grants nationwide for rehiring laid-off firefighters and retaining those whose jobs are in jeopardy due to budget constraints.
SAFER grants are awarded on a competitive basis depending on a department’s financial and staffing needs. In each application, FEMA considers the grant’s impact on the department\’s daily operations and prioritizes its awards based on how the community and current firefighters are at risk without the newly funded positions. The funds awarded to Camden will support two years of salaries and benefits for the newly rehired positions.
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