Hoyer Announces More Than $390,000 in Funding for Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5) today announced that the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department will receive $393,050 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER) program to support the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters. Congressman Hoyer is a co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Fire Services Caucus, which supports fire service legislation that benefits all first responders.

"Our volunteer firefighters and first responders play an important role in protecting Marylanders throughout our state," said Congressman Steny H. Hoyer. "This SAFER grant will help the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department to recruit and retain men and women who are dedicated to serving their communities. I look forward to continuing to work in Congress to support the mission of our local fire departments and ensure they have the necessary funding to respond to emergencies and save lives throughout the Fifth District."

SAFER grants enhance the ability of grantees to attain and maintain 24-hour staffing. The objective of the program is to award grants directly to volunteer, combination, and career fire departments to help the departments increase the number of frontline firefighters and to rehire firefighters who were laid off due to the economy. The funding will help create a more favorable working environment for volunteer firefighters and assist with enlisting and/or retaining volunteer firefighters who are trained in the operations of firefighting and emergency response