MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The South Lake County Fire Protection District got a piece of good news this week when it was informed that it had won a large federal grant that will enable it to hire more firefighters.

On Thursday Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) announced that the district will receive $724,909 in grant funding to help hire firefighters.

“We just found out about it yesterday so we're all excited,” district Assistant Chief Jim Wright said Thursday, adding, “It was really good news.”

The funds are provided through the Department of Homeland Security’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program, Thompson said.

“The economic downturn has created significant burdens for fire departments in Northern California and across the country,” said Thompson. “Many communities have had no choice but to lay off firefighters and other emergency personnel, despite the threat to public safety. The generous funding provided through the SAFER program will not only improve the South Lake County Fire Protection District’s ability to respond to fire hazards, but also improve our community’s overall level of preparedness.”

Wright thanked Thompson for his efforts in helping to secure the grant funds.

Wright credited district battalion chiefs Rich Boehm and Scott Upton for putting together the grant application.

Thompson's office reported that, nationwide, the SAFER program provides approximately $420 million in competitive grants to fire departments and volunteer firefighter support groups.

The objective of the program is to help these departments increase the number of trained, frontline firefighters available in their communities, according to Thompson's office. Grant funds may be used to recruit and retain new firefighters, or to rehire firefighters who were laid-off due to the economy.

Wright said the district will use the grant to hire three additional firefighters.

He said that the grant will cover the wages for the firefighters for the first two years. In the third year the district will be responsible for those salaries.

“That's part of the deal, we have to keep them on for that third year,” he said.

South Lake County Fire Protection District contracts with Cal Fire to provide fire protection, Wright explained.

They currently have a staff of 10 firefighters, said Wright.

The district is the third largest, based on land size, in California, at 286 square miles, according to the South Lake Fire Safe Council.

Two firefighters at a time – one medic and one engineer – staff the district's two stations, Wright said.

With the amount of staff they have, Wright said they're constantly running into overtime issues.

“It will reduce our overtime costs greatly,” he said.

Wright said they will go through a regular hiring process to add the new firefighters.

“There's plenty of people waiting in the wings because Cal Fire's been cut back,” he said.

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