This addition brings the total number of firefighters in the department to 100
The City of Flint has re-hired 34 previously laid off firefighters. The layoffs date back to 2007 including 21 firefighters who were laid off as of March 24, 2010. The city plans to hire 5 additional firefighters by July 1, 2010, bringing the total number of
re-hires and new hires to 39.
The city of Flint received a $6.7M Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant from FEMA, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, to bring the fire department staffing levels to 105. The grant which covers salaries and benefits for 39 firefighters is effective from May 10, 2010 through May 10, 2012.
Flint Mayor Dayne Walling applauds the efforts of FEMA for funding 100% of the city’s grant request. “This is great news for the community. We asked for funding for 39 firefighters and we received it,” said Mayor Walling. “Just recently the city was forced to layoff nearly 2 dozen firefighters. This grant not only restores those 21 laid off firefighters but it also adds more than a dozen more firefighters to the ranks making this the largest fire department this community has had in several years.”
The increase in staffing in the Flint fire department has made it possible for the city to re-open two previously closed fire stations. Fire Station #8 on Atherton Road and Fire Station #3 on Martin Luther King Avenue are open and serving the community as of May 10, 2010.
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