Fayetteville Fire Department receives a $2.8 million grant to make new hires

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- The city of Fayetteville has been awarded a $2.8 million grant to hire additional firefighters.

The money is coming from the Department of Homeland Security's Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants.

The goal of the program is to increase staffing in local fire departments in order to better respond to emergencies.

The funding goes directly to the fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to help increase the number of "front line" firefighters.

Officials said the multimillion dollars grant is critical as many departments have seen a significant decline in revenue due to the pandemic.

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