Each year a new cycle starts for departments to apply for SAFER Grants — and each year I wonder why more departments do not apply. Applications can begin Tuesday, and the SAFER Grants provide funds for increasing staffing either by hiring firefighters or implementing a recruitment and/or retention program.

In 2007, only 1,728 departments applied for such a grant, and of that only 562 applied for a recruitment program. If you assume there's approximately 30,000 eligible fire departments in the United States, this means that just slightly more than 5 percent applied for these funds last year. I am sure that more than 5 percent of all the departments in the United States have problems with maintaining minimum staffing — so why don't more departments apply?

While it may be impossible to say exactly why departments are not applying, general confusion or the lack of unique ideas for recruitment and retention probably plays a part. The lack of unique ideas may be complicated by the grant guidance, which specifically state that departments may not make cash payments to members.

All too often, this is what departments want to use when they think of recruitment and retention. But cash payments have been found to have a limited effect. It's creative programs that the SAFER program is looking to fund.

Read details
In order to have a successful grant application, it is important to read the details thoroughly, and a good look at the SAFER guidance sets up a good framework for a sustainable recruitment and retention program. The best way to read any grant guidance document is with three highlighters: one to mark what you should do, another for what you must do and the third for the things you must not do.

Some of thing things that you should do include applying for a regional program, while options not available include hiring full-time firefighters for staffing. The things that you MUST do, such as submit your application by 5:00PM EDT on July 27, are just as important and serve as rules of the game just as you cannot apply for direct cash payments to your firefighters.

Reading a grant guidance document may be boring, but the SAFER Grants is a great opportunity we should all take advantage of.

The purpose of the SAFER Grants is to help departments to increase their staffing to meet national standards such as NFPA 1710/1720 and better serve your population area. With this in mind, it becomes important to find a solution that meets the purpose of the grant priorities. To be competitive, your grant application should specifically state the need, current service levels, and which standards will be met if your grant is funded. Part of that needs statement should explicitly identify your department’s retention and vacancy rate and how many members are expected to be gained and/or retained through this program.

The recruitment plan itself can take many forms, but the grant guidance states that there specifically should be a project coordinator and marketing plan. Having a coordinator and a plan are the cornerstones of any good program, and another reason why having a regional approach may make it easier both to receive funds and execute the plan. There is a list of allowable expenses and they provide a great starting point for ideas of what can be in the plan. Included in the list are ideas that I have been promoting on VolunteerFD.org as recruitment programs such as insurance packages (including health, disability, dental, etc.), explorer or cadet programs, tuition assessment and even the standard LOSAP plans.

Reading a grant guidance document may be boring, but the SAFER Grants is a great opportunity we should all take advantage of. Not only can this program help you recruit and retain members for up to four years, but those who do receive funding also receive priority for other AFGP grants! It does not hurt to try and apply for a program like this, and if a region or county comes together, it not only makes it easier to apply, it is rated higher!

One last word of wisdom on the SAFER Grants: Do not forget about diversity in recruitment. This includes both recruiting minorities and women into the fire service. Our departments should reflect the communities we serve, and that requires a concerted effort to recruit all types of people. Be sure to think about ways to recruit a diverse volunteer organization and be sure to clearly specify how this will be accomplished in your grant narrative.