BOZEMAN — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently awarded the City of Bozeman $4.4 million through the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program. This funding will help the City pay for the salaries and benefits of 12 new firefighters over the course of three years.

“The cost of living has absolutely exploded in Bozeman. Knowing this, we began looking for other ways to ease the burden on residents and increase staff without having to rely on local tax dollars,” Chief Josh Waldo explained. “This grant doesn’t solve our staffing issues as the funding runs out after three years and our needs are only expected to increase as the years go on. That said, we’re grateful for any opportunity that benefits the health and safety of our residents, and this is one of them.”

Should the City’s proposed staffing levy for first responders pass in November, this funding will go towards lowering the amount levied from property owners. In the first three years of implementation, a resident would see total cost savings of approximately $132 per median single-family household.

If the City’s proposed first responder levy and fourth fire station bond do not pass, even with the SAFER grant, concerns around response times remain. A fourth fire station is needed to offer better response times across the city and 22 total firefighters are needed to adequately staff the station. Without both the bond and levy, the 12 hired with this grant would be used to stand up the quick response unit (QRU) – a critical need the City has identified in recent years, and provide additional staff support across existing stations.

Senators Daines and Tester as well as Representative Zinke wrote letters of support, and Senator Jon Tester released a statement earlier in September about the award.

Those interested in learning more about the City’s first responder levy and fire station bond initiatives can visit www.bozeman.net/safetyfirst.