Staffing for adequate fire and emergency response (SAFER)

Metamora Township of Municipal Offices received a Project Grant award of $176,914.72 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program (CFDA 97.083) on December 19, 2025. The award will support the township's fire and emergency response operations through December 18, 2029. The SAFER program provides direct funding to eligible local government recipients to enhance public safety by enabling communities to meet industry minimum standards for firefighter staffing and achieve 24-hour operational capacity.

Under this award, Metamora Township will utilize the federal funding to support core SAFER program activities, which include hiring of frontline firefighters and recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters. These investments are designed to help the township fulfill traditional fire department missions and provide adequate fire protection and emergency response services to the Metamora community. The award is part of FEMA's broader initiative to strengthen fire service capacity across the nation, with the SAFER program having distributed over $4.7 billion in federal funding since its 2005 inception.