WASHINGTON, DC -- Congresswoman Nita Lowey, and Congressman Eliot Engel (NY-17) today announced 16 Yonkers firefighters who had been laid off due to budget shortfalls will be re-hired as a result of a $4,846,034 federal grant the City received from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“I am thrilled the Yonkers Fire Department will benefit from this federal grant, which will help ensure we have the personnel necessary to keep our community safe,” said Lowey, the sole New Yorker on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security.  “It is particularly important that this federal grant has come through at a time of high unemployment, because it will directly create jobs in our community.”

Congressman Eliot Engel said, "No community can be safe without fire protection. This SAFER grant will help Yonkers to have trained firefighters on duty to answer the 15,000 emergency calls made here every year. These grants are even more necessary for localities suffering through the economic downturn. The economy may be coming back but emergencies don't wait. This is why I wrote a letter of support for this grant to assist our brave firefighters in doing their heroic work. The grant will allow the people of Yonkers to sleep a little better knowing their Fire Department is there for them."

Yonkers Mayor Philip Amicone said, ““At a time when we’re trying to restore essential services during this tough budget year, this grant comes as a huge lift for the Fire Department and the City.  I want to thank our Congressional delegation for their continued support and especially for their support on securing this grant.”

Yonkers City Council President Chuck Lesnick stated, “I want to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to the Department of Homeland Security and our Congressional delegation for supporting this SAFER grant and coming to the rescue of our city’s fire department during these tough economic times. This grant allows us to rehire firefighters and that will have an immediate impact on the safety and security of our City.”

Barry McGoey, President of IAFF Local 628, said, “I thank our Congressional delegation on behalf of all Yonkers firefighters, especially the 16 who will be re-hired.  I know they are looking forward to getting back to work protecting the people of Yonkers.” 

“This is a great news for Yonkers,” U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said. "During these tough economic times, these federal funds are critical to putting our local firefighters to work. I will continue to fight to ensure the Yonkers Fire Department and our first responders have the resources needed to continue their excellence and keep our communities safe."

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program (SAFER)is a funding initiative designed to strengthen the nation’s ability to respond to fire and fire-related hazards and improve the nation’s overall level of preparedness. 

The goal of any SAFER grant is to enhance the ability of grantees to attain and maintain 24-hour staffing and to assure that their communities have adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards.  The objective of the program is to award grants directly to volunteer, combination, and career fire departments to help the departments increase the number of frontline firefighters, and to rehire firefighters who were laid-off due to the economy.

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