For Immediate Release

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019

Media Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Marion Fire Department Receives Federal Grant for Recruitment of 20 Call Firefighters

MARION – Chief Brian Jackvony is pleased to announce that the Marion Fire Department was awarded a $152,398 grant to fund the recruitment and retention of call firefighters.

Distributed by the Federal Emergency Management (FEMA), Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response Grants (SAFER) provides funding for fire departments to help increase and maintain the number of firefighters able to respond to emergencies in the community.

The grant covers a period of four years in which Marion Fire will use the funds to recruit and retain an additional five call firefighters each year. The awarded $152,398 will cover entry level physicals, personal protective equipment, EMT training, marketing efforts and a recruitment and retention coordinator.

The Marion Fire Department is predominately a paid-on-call fire department with only two full-time members. As with most paid-on-call or volunteer fire departments, Marion is experiencing a decrease in personnel.

“This is not a problem occurring only in Marion,” Chief Jackvony said. “Across the state and across the country, the number of call and volunteer firefighters is decreasing. We need to be creative with our recruitment efforts and find ways to retain our members while minimizing the cost to taxpayers. This grant allows us to overcome some of the recruitment obstacles we face so that our staffing levels can remain sufficient to serve the needs of the Marion community.”

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