Chattanooga Fire Department Wins Federal Grant of $1.84 Million

Being a firefighter is not an easy job.

Not everyone is qualified because of the intense physical and intellectual requirements.

But Chattanooga will be hiring 14 more firefighters later this month, and the federal government will pay for them.

For 10 years now the Chattanooga Fire department has applied for a Safer grant from the Department of Homeland security—and didn’t get it.

But now in 2016, the city will have an extra 1.8 million dollars for staffing.

MAYOR ANDY BERKE, CHATTANOOGA  “This year, because of the innovative and hard work of the fire department, it was granted and I’m pleased to announce that we will have 14 new firefighters for our department as a result.”

The grant is from the Department of Homeland Security and its for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response..also known as SAFER.

It will allow the fire department to add more people on the squads and quick response vehicles.

CHIEF CHRIS ADAMS. CHATTANOOGA FIRE DEPT. ” Firefighters are the greatest resource we can have. We could buy the newest fire equipment there is and have it out there on the streets …but if we don’t have the firefighters to operate it…its useless. So, these 14 people greatly enhance our capabilities of the service we’re going to deliver to the citizens of Chattanooga.”

For the first time the FD will have 5 people on every apparatus and that makes it safer for the firefighters and makes it safer for the citizens of Chattanooga, and the federal government is going to pick up the 4.8 million dollars. They will be hired immediately to report for work on September 30th and sent for six months of training.

CHIEF ADAMS  “Its a 2 year grant and after 2 years we’ll have to look at it and see how the economy is doing ..then its on the municipality to continue funding, or attrition will take care of it which ever way it works out.”

The additional firefighters will be assigned to stations in Brainerd, Enterprise south, on east Main in downtown, and in Lookout valley.

Anyone who wants to apply for a job at the fire department can do so at the Chattanooga city website. There’s a link to that on our webpage…WDEF.COM.

(http://fire-department.jobs.net/jobs/chattanooga)