A nearly $2 million grant has been awarded to the Thornton Fire Department by FEMA. The agency’s SAFER grant is helping fund the recruitment and hiring of 15 firefighters.
The department had applied for grants in the past but never one of this size. The Thornton general fund covers the vast majority of the department’s costs, and fire officials generally have only applied for smaller grants to acquire new equipment, such as thermal imagers or cardiac monitors. Officials identified the SAFER grant as the city’s best shot for funding until the city budget can meet demand. After applying in February and waiting six months,FEMA awarded the department $1,957,068 million in mid-August.