Staffing for adequate fire and emergency response (SAFER)

The City of Sharonville received a Project Grant award of $1,063,440.54 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program (CFDA 97.083), awarded on March 19, 2026, with a completion date of March 18, 2029. The SAFER program funds two core activities: the hiring of frontline firefighters and the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters. Through this award, Sharonville will utilize federal funding to help meet industry minimum standards for firefighter staffing and achieve 24-hour operational capacity to provide adequate fire protection and emergency response services to the community.

The SAFER program, administered by FEMA as one of three DHS grant programs focused on public safety enhancement, supports eligible recipients—including city and county governments, federally recognized tribal governments, and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations—in meeting traditional fire department missions and addressing critical staffing gaps. Recipients of SAFER awards may pursue period-of-performance extensions for recruitment and retention activities under compelling operational circumstances, demonstrating the program's flexibility in supporting long-term staffing objectives. The award was selected through FEMA's multi-phase merit-based process, which includes electronic pre-scoring, peer review, and comprehensive internal assessments of technical feasibility, costs, and eligibility.