SAFER Grant: $324M to Hire and Retain Firefighters (FY 2025)

FEMA's Grant Programs Directorate has posted the FY 2025 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program, making $324 million available to help fire departments add frontline firefighters and to help national, state, local, and tribal organizations recruit and retain volunteers. SAFER is one of the few federal programs that pays directly for personnel, not just equipment, and FY 2025 carries no cost-share requirement.

The program is authorized by Section 34 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. § 2229a) and is a sister program to the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG), which funds equipment, training, and apparatus.

What SAFER Funds

SAFER supports activities in two distinct categories. An applicant can apply under either, but the project narrative and budget look very different.

1. Hiring of Firefighters

Career, combination, and volunteer fire departments can use SAFER to pay the salaries and benefits of new firefighting positions over a three-year period. Eligible uses typically include:

• Hiring new firefighters above current baseline staffing
• Rehiring firefighters who have been laid off
• Retaining firefighters facing layoff
• Filling positions vacated by attrition that would otherwise be eliminated

Hired positions must meet OSHA two-in/two-out and NFPA 1710 (career) or 1720 (volunteer) response standards, and departments must commit to retaining the positions for the full performance period.

2. Recruitment & Retention of Volunteer Firefighters

Designed for volunteer and combination departments — and for state, regional, or national organizations representing the interests of volunteer firefighters — this category funds activities that grow and keep the volunteer ranks. Eligible uses typically include:

• Marketing campaigns and recruitment drives
• Length-of-service award programs (LOSAP) and other retention incentives
• Recruitment officers, training officers, and support staff
• Physical fitness and wellness programs that reduce attrition
• Childcare reimbursement, tuition assistance, and other family-supporting benefits
• Equipment and gear directly tied to recruiting new volunteers

Who Can Apply

Eligible applicants are strictly limited by category:

• Hiring of Firefighters: Career, combination, and volunteer fire departments
• Recruitment & Retention: Volunteer and combination fire departments, plus national, state, local, or federally recognized tribal organizations representing the interests of volunteer firefighters

Fire-based EMS organizations that operate as part of a fire department are eligible. Non-affiliated EMS organizations are not eligible under SAFER (they should look at AFG instead).

Applicants must be in good standing with prior FEMA grants, have an active SAM.gov registration, and be able to meet the NFPA staffing and response standards referenced in the NOFO.

Cost Share — Waived for FY 2025

SAFER traditionally requires a declining cost share over the three-year hiring period, but FY 2025 follows the recent precedent of fully waiving the local match. That means a department receiving a SAFER hiring award pays nothing toward firefighter salaries during the three-year performance period — a meaningful change for small and rural departments that often can't absorb a 25% or 35% match.

Departments must still budget for retaining the positions after the grant ends. SAFER requires recipients to commit to maintaining the positions for the duration of the performance period; many awards build in a sustainment plan as part of the narrative.

Key Timeline

1. May 18, 2026: NOFO posted on Grants.gov and FEMA GO
2. June 22, 2026, 5:00 p.m. ET: Applications due in FEMA GO
3. July 22, 2026: Archive date (no late submissions)
4. Fall 2026: Award notifications expected on a rolling basis

Tips for a Competitive SAFER Application

1. Pull your staffing data first. SAFER scoring depends heavily on current staffing vs. NFPA 1710/1720 benchmarks, call volume, and response-time data. Have at least three years of NFIRS data, run cards, and turnout-time reports ready.
2. Frame the operational gap. Reviewers want to see exactly what new positions enable: a fourth firefighter on the engine, a dedicated rescue company, two-in/two-out compliance on first arriving units, or reduced reliance on overtime.
3. Document financial need. Trends in property tax revenue, fire fund balance, prior-year layoffs, and any failed millage/levy votes all support the "couldn't otherwise hire" case.
4. Show a sustainment plan. Even with no required match, FEMA wants to see how positions will be funded after year three. Multi-year capital plans, dedicated revenue streams, or contractual commitments from municipal partners all help.
5. For volunteer R&R, quantify the problem. Volunteer roster trends, response-rate decline, and call-coverage gaps make the narrative concrete. Vague recruitment goals score poorly.
6. Coordinate with mutual aid partners. Letters of support from neighboring departments and the county/regional fire chief carry weight, especially for combination and consortium R&R applications.
7. Read the criteria document. FEMA publishes detailed scoring criteria and FAQs at fema.gov/grants/preparedness/firefighters/safer. Score your own draft against each criterion before submitting.

How to Apply

1. Confirm your department's eligibility category (Hiring vs. Recruitment & Retention)
2. Verify your SAM.gov registration is active and your UEI number is current — FEMA GO won't let you submit without them
3. Register or log in to FEMA GO at go.fema.gov and confirm your AOR has the right role for SAFER
4. Download the FY 2025 SAFER NOFO and any Technical Assistance documents from fema.gov/grants/preparedness/firefighters/safer/documents
5. Build your narrative, budget, and supporting documentation
6. Submit in FEMA GO by June 22, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET

For technical or programmatic questions, contact the FEMA GO Help Desk at 1-877-585-3242 or femago@fema.dhs.gov.

Related Resources

• FY 2025 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG): $291.6M for Equipment, Training, and Wellness
• How to Register on SAM.gov for Federal Grants
• Grants.gov Registration Guide for Local Governments

How Avila Can Help

SAFER applications live or die on the strength of the operational and financial-need narrative — and on tight alignment with NFPA standards, NFIRS data, and FEMA's scoring rubric. Avila helps fire departments rapidly assemble the staffing analysis, financial-need documentation, and sustainment plan that competitive SAFER applications require. Book a demo to see how Avila can speed up your SAFER submission.