Chester Fire District Set to Receive $69,500 in Federal Funds

Chester Fire District Set to Receive $69,500 in Federal Funds
A Cal Fire firefighter walks down a trail on Garzas Trail in the Santa Lucia Preserve above Carmel Valley, Calif., Thursday, July 28, 2016. Firefighters struggled Thursday to get the upper hand on a massive wildfire burning along California's picturesque Big Sur coastline, where anxious residents driven from their homes awaited word on their properties and popular parks and trails closed at the height of tourist season. (Nic Coury/Monterey County Weekly via AP)
Colin Fredericson
9/8/2016
Updated:
9/8/2016

The Chester Fire District is set to receive $69,500 in federal funding to improve recruitment and retention of firefighters. The district, located in Orange County, is getting the money through the Department of Homeland Security’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program. Senator’s Charles Schumer and Korsten Gillibrand announced the funding award on Sept. 8.

“It will help us recruit new local firefighters and provide information to the community about our activities and public safety messages. This federal funding helps reduce the need for funding from local taxpayers,” said Commissioner John Deshler of the Chester Fire District in a press release.

The SAFER grant was created to provide money from the federal government directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to help increase the number of front line firefighters in communities, and enhance local fire departments’ abilities to comply with standards from the National Fire Protection Association and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

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Colin is a New York-based reporter. He covers Entertainment, U.S., and international news. Besides writing for online news outlets he has worked in online marketing and advertising, done voiceover work, and has a background in sound engineering and filmmaking. His foreign language skills include Spanish and Chinese.
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