New Bedford Wins Federal SAFER Grant, Funding Over 20 Firefighters

New Bedford has been awarded a federal SAFER grant.

FEMA announced the grants today, and has awarded New Bedford $4.6 million to cover fire department staffing needs. The grant will fund about 21 firefighters over the next two years.

New Bedford Firefighter Union President Billy Cabral tells WBSM News a lot of credit goes to Congressman Bill Keating, and Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey for lobbying on New Bedford's behalf. "This is our third consecutive grant, and that doesn't happen too much," said Cabral. "So their advocacy shouldn't go unnoticed."

Mayor Jon Mitchell says the grant does not resolve the City's brownouts of fire engines, which will continue until a new station is built in the South End. "This is unrelated to where firefighters are located, which is what the brownout policy is about," explained Mitchell. "The SAFER grant is about the overall staffing levels of the department."

Mitchell says over the next two years, the City must turn it's focus to continuing to ween itself off of the SAFER grant.

New Bedford received the second largest SAFER grant that was announced today, behind Providence which has received over $15 million.