Volunteer, combination or career departments can apply for 2011 SAFER grants during the current open application period. Funds from the grant’s $380 million budget will be awarded based on peer-established criteria, including programs for the hiring, recruiting and retaining of firefighters.

Cathie Patterson — FEMA branch chief for firefighter grants —said there are two categories of grant priorities this year: hiring and recruitment/retention. Under hiring, the first priority is rehiring laid off firefighters. Next is retaining firefighters who face eminent layoffs and then filling attrited positions, from retirements or from closed stations. The third is hiring new firefighters.

The recruitment-and-retention category will award funds to strategies meant to keep volunteers. While volunteer and combination departments are eligible under both categories, career departments only are eligible for hiring, Patterson said.

Many volunteers say they are unable to use SAFER. But this year, there are several opportunities. The grant lets departments win grants to hire their first paid person. It also will pay for implementing untraditional recruitment and retention programs. Chiefs first need to identify those who can volunteer and determine how to provide resources to keep them volunteering. This could be stipends for gas cards, even babysitting fees.

The grant could fund marketing materials for self-promotion to recruit new volunteers. Applications that focus on recruiting a diverse workforce is another way to win funding, Patterson added.

To learn more, go to www.fema.gov/firegrants and click on SAFER. There are several tools to assist in your application, including a self-evaluation toolkit that contains the same criteria used by the peer-panel during the review process. FEMA also created a new condensed handbook on the guidance to make it easier to digest, Patterson said.