#Ithaca voice fire professional

“People are already getting price quotes for all sorts of recruiting materials,” O’Connor said. The grant money will help address staffing issues, O’Connor said, and its usage will be focused on recruitment and retaining firefighters. The winners of the SAFER grant are chosen by how closely they align with the core values of the program as well as the severity of the financial concerns of the department. The program helps individuals with natural disasters and has several grant programs that fire departments can apply for. Local governments have tried to create tax incentives to make first responder jobs more attractive, while departments have recommitted themselves to finding more creative ways to recruit.Ĭhris O’Connor, Fire Lieutenant at the Ithaca Fire Department and the Town of Dryden’s fire coordinator, said even though the grant was put in the name of the Freeville Fire Department, the Dryden, Etna and Varna Fire Departments collaborated with the Freeville Fire Department and created a proposal that was then sent to the federal government on behalf of all of them. The money will be distributed among all the departments involved.Īpplicants for the grant must apply through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). on April 30, Ithaca Fire Rescue was dispatched to the intersection of West Lincoln Street and Dey Street for a loud noise that was followed by the loss of power in.

#Ithaca voice fire professional

Particularly in recent years, local fire departments have struggled to maintain staffing levels, both at the professional and volunteer levels throughout Tompkins County.