South Lake Tahoe, CA- The City of South Lake Tahoe will hire 7 new firefighters and reopen fire station 2 after SAFER grant award last month.
The City found out in September it had been awarded $1.46M over a 3-year period to cover personnel expenses for 7 new firefighter positions. These positions will be assigned to fire station 2 and allow the City to reopen that fire station in early 2020.
“I am pleased that the City has been awarded the SAFER grant, and look forward to the 7 new firefighters joining the City's team in the coming months,” said City Manager Frank Rush, “’Fire Safety’ has been identified as one of the City Council's top priorities, with a key objective to "provide adequate staffing to reopen Fire Station 2
In 2018, the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department completed a comprehensive review of the fire and life safety system for the City of South Lake Tahoe by producing a Standards of Cover Document. This report included a variety of recommendations and observations for consideration by the City Council. One major recommendation included re-staffing Fire Station 2.
“Applying for and accepting this grant money underscores the City’s commitment to fire safety, and the safety of our residents and visitors,” said Rush, “These new positions will ensure we have the right people, in the right places, at the right time in an emergency situation.”
The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants (SAFER) was created by FEMA 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.