Johnson City Fire Grant

10/4/2012 (Updated 11:11:11 PM)

The Johnson City Fire Department is receiving a big boost from FEMA this week.
   
JC Mayor Greg Deemie announced the village has been awarded a 1.2 million dollar "safer" grant. The grant allows the village to hire 6 more firefighters.

Currently the department only has 24 full time positions filled, down 40 percent from 2008 according to Village Trustee Bruce King.

"40%,16 firefighters is a large number.  In order to maintain a good, safe village I believe we need to be somewhere between those two numbers.  24, what we have today, isn't enough." said Bruce King, Village Trustee.

Since the village is already in the process of hiring a full time position the six additional hires through the FEMA money will increase the number of firefighters to 31.

Deemie says this should allow the Southside Fire Station which sometimes goes unmanned, to be staffed on a more regular basis.