RX Deputy Administrator Dennis Hunsinger is joined by Snohomish County Council Chair Dave Somers, Fire Commissioners Don Andrew, Neil Doherty, Snohomish Deputy Fire Chief Eric Andrews, Fire Commissioners Gregg Knapp and Gunther Hausmann, Snohomish County Emergency Management Director John Pennington, and Snohomish County Fire District #7 Fire Chief Richard Eastman

FEMA Region 10’s Deputy Regional Administrator Dennis Hunsinger presented a fire grant check for $1,686,800, as part of FEMA’s Staffing-for-Adequate-Fire-and-Emergency-Response grant program, to Snohomish County Fire District #7, on Thursday, April 24, 2008 at 8:30 a.m.  The presentation was made at the Fire Station at 8010 180th St. S.E., Snohomish WA 98296 in Clearview. 

Attending the grant award presentation was Snohomish County Council member Dave Somers, Snohomish County Emergency Management Director John Pennington, Snohomish County Fire District #7 fire chief Richard Eastman, assistant fire chief Eric Andrews, and Snohomish County District #7 Fire Commissioners Don Andrew, Neil Doherty, Ron Waugh, Gregg Knapp, and Gunther Hausmann.

The SAFER grant program is administered cooperatively by two FEMA components: the National Preparedness Directorate and the United States Fire Administration.  SAFER grants were created to provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter-interest organizations, in order to help them increase the number of trained, "front-line" firefighters available in their communities.

Specifically, SAFER funds should assist local fire departments to increase their staffing and deployment capabilities in order to respond to emergencies whenever they may occur. As a result of the enhanced staffing, response times should be sufficiently reduced with an appropriate number of personnel assembled at the incident scene. Thanks to the grant Fire District 7 will be hiring sixteen new firefighters to help protect and respond to the emergency needs of our district.

FEMA coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.