Staffing for adequate fire and emergency response (safer)

The City of Rensselaer received a $237,090 Project Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program (CFDA 97.083) on December 19, 2025. The award will support fire and emergency response services through December 18, 2029. The funding will support the city's fire department by enabling the hiring of new firefighters and supporting recruitment and retention initiatives for volunteer firefighters to enhance the community's emergency response capabilities and meet industry minimum staffing standards.

The SAFER program represents FEMA's strategic investment in public safety, having distributed $4.7 billion in combined federal funding across 4,772 awards since its inception in 2005. This award positions the City of Rensselaer to strengthen its capacity to provide adequate fire protection and fulfill traditional fire department missions while meeting 24-hour staffing requirements to protect residents from fire and fire-related hazards.