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Who is eligible to apply for funding in the Recruitment
and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters?
Nonprofit volunteer and combination fire departments and State and local
interest organizations that focus on the interests of volunteer firefighters
may apply for funding.
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What are some examples of incentive costs that are eligible
under the Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters activity?
Applicants who propose to initiate a recruitment and/or retention plan
as a part of their application will receive equal consideration for the
recruitment activities and the retention activities. Proposals in this
activity may include providing incentives for volunteer firefighter members
to continue their service in a fire department. Examples of the type of
initiatives that may receive assistance include but are not limited to
the following:
- Accidental death and dismemberment insurance
- College education cost reimbursement
- Reimbursement for lost wages while attending training
- Marketing program costs to recruit new volunteer members
- Staffing needs assessment
- Explorer, cadet, and/or mentoring programs
- Initial entry physicals
- Tuition assistance for higher education and professional certifications
- Workers compensation
- Length of service awards and other retirement benefits
I'm applying for a recruitment and retention grant. May I use SAFER funds to pay for training of firefighters recruited under the program?
Maybe. The recruitment and retention activity of SAFER was created to help fire departments maintain or increase their complement of firefighters by establishing incentives for firefighters to join the department or to stay with the department. If an applicant can show a relationship between its recruitment problems and the lack of training, or if an applicant can show a relationship between its inability to retain volunteers and the lack of training, then we may consider funding the training. We will not, however, fund the training if the applicant does not provide a compelling rationale to show that training is integral to satisfying a recruitment and/or retention problem. Regardless of the justification, the SAFER funds will not fund training for any department that has a training grant under the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.
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If I apply in the Recruitment and Retention Activity and only request assistance in retention, how do I respond to the fourth requirement in the narrative portion of the application that reads as follows: A statement relating to how the applicant will ensure to the extent possible, that they will seek, recruit, and hire members of racial and ethnic minority groups and women for the new firefighter positions to increase their ranks within your department.
Since you will not be "hiring" new firefighters (you are only requesting assistance in the "retention" activity), you should discuss your department's past recruitment practices. For example, how has your department pursued and recruited new members from racial and ethnic minority populations and women in the past?
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