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. The Hiring activity carries a statutory 25%/25%/65% federal share schedule across the three-year performance period (departments pay 75% of year-1 cost, 75% of year-2, 35% of year-3); Recruitment & Retention has 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 fixed 36-month performance period. Per the FY 2025 NOFO (Appendix B, Section I), Hiring funds are limited to:

• New Hires: Firefighters hired after the offer of award — above current baseline staffing
• Conversions: Conversion of part-time or paid-on-call firefighters to full-time positions

SAFER does not fund rehiring of previously laid-off firefighters, retention of currently employed firefighters, or filling attrition vacancies — categories from older SAFER cycles that are no longer eligible.

Funded positions must meet NFPA 1710 (career) or 1720 (volunteer) response standards, and departments must commit to a Staffing Maintenance obligation: positions must be retained for the full performance period, with default/termination consequences if positions are eliminated (economic hardship waiver may be requested).

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 — Hiring Activity

SAFER's Hiring activity has a statutory declining-share schedule over the three-year performance period (NOFO Section 2.G/H):

• Year 1: 25% federal / 75% department
• Year 2: 25% federal / 75% department
• Year 3: 65% federal / 35% department

On top of that share schedule, federal funding for each position is capped at 75% of the first-year firefighter cost in years 1 and 2, and 35% in year 3. Departments should model both the share split AND the per-position cap when sizing their request.

Recruitment & Retention has no cost share requirement.

Maintenance of Effort & Staffing Maintenance

Recipients must certify 80% Maintenance of Effort under 15 U.S.C. § 2229a(c)(2) — meaning the department cannot use SAFER funds to displace existing local funding for firefighter staffing. Recipients also commit to a Staffing Maintenance obligation: positions must be retained for the performance period, with default/termination consequences for elimination. An economic hardship waiver may be requested if circumstances change.

Departments must budget for retaining the positions after the grant ends. Many awards build in a sustainment plan as part of the narrative.

Key Timeline

1. May 19, 2026, 8:00 a.m. ET: NOFO posted; applications open in FEMA GO
2. June 22, 2026, 5:00 p.m. ET: Applications due in FEMA GO
3. ~September 14, 2026: Anticipated award date
4. No later than September 30, 2026: All FY 2025 SAFER awards issued

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, NFPA 1710/1720 response-time 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. Because the federal share drops to 65% in year 3 and then to zero, FEMA wants to see how positions will be funded going forward. 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 (FEMA GO system) questions, contact the FEMA GO Help Desk at 1-877-585-3242 or femago@fema.dhs.gov. For programmatic (SAFER policy) questions, contact the Fire Grants Program Help Desk at (866) 274-0960 or FireGrants@fema.dhs.gov.

How Applications Are Scored

SAFER uses a two-phase review: a quantitative Pre-Score followed by a Peer Review panel.

• Hiring: Pre-Score 50% / Peer Review 50%
• R&R: Pre-Score 30% / Peer Review 70%

Within the narrative, FEMA scores against four equally-weighted criteria except Cost Benefit:

• Project Description: 30%
• Impact on Daily Operations: 30%
• Financial Need: 30%
• Cost Benefit: 10%

Unallowable Costs

SAFER funds may not be used for: construction; pre-application and pre-award administrative hiring costs; promotions of existing department members; overtime (except routine FLSA-required); or job-sharing positions. Indirect costs are disallowed under Hiring (allowed for R&R interest organizations only). Grant writer fees are capped at $1,500 per application.

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.