Woodbury Fire Department awarded $146,660 Homeland Security grant

The Village of Woodbury Fire Department has been awarded a $146,660 U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant to recruit and retain new volunteer firefighters.

The grant, which will assist the department by funding a variety of needs, was awarded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Program.

The SAFER Program was created to provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to help them increase or maintain the number of trained “front line” firefighters available in their communities.

The Village of Woodbury Fire Department will utilize the award to hire a volunteer coordinator and recruit 15 new volunteers over a two-year period.

Recruitment, training, retention

“Of those volunteers, our hope is that at least eight will become active members, significantly improving our ability to respond to the community,” said Mayor Tim Egan. “The SAFER Program is very competitive and this is a great victory which will ensure the safety of our members and the public they serve.”

Funds will be used to hire a volunteer coordinator, purchase and install electric signage, purchase personal protective equipment, develop media, create printed materials, provide for new member training, tuition assistance and reimbursement for books and lab fees.

According to the mayor, there are 62 firefighters between the Central Valley and Highland Mills fire companies. However, only 31 are active responding members. The others become inactive due to illness, work and/or family constraints or are college-age members returning to school in the fall, Egan added.

The short and long term benefits

“The recruiter will most likely push for younger members, perhaps speaking at the high school and looking at youth members as well (under 18),” the mayor said. “My son started in that role and he is a lieutenant in the fire department now.

“(The recruiter) would explain how volunteering at the local fire department is a great start to a career in emergency services,” Egan added. “Older volunteers with established families would get social interaction with other members of the community, be eligible to participate in the LOSAP (length of service awards program), potential tax breaks, etc.

“These are the overall benefits of joining a fire department,” the mayor said, “but having a dedicated paid person to formally work on recruitment and retention will go a long way toward extending volunteer membership and preventing the need for paid fire department employees down the road.”