The goal of the SAFER grant program is to assist local fire departments with staffing and deployment capabilities to respond to emergencies and to assure that communities have adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards. Local fire departments accomplish this by improving staffing and deployment capabilities so they may more effectively and safely respond to emergencies. With enhanced staffing levels, communities should experience a reduction in response times and an increase in the number of trained personnel assembled at the incident scene. You can also make the argument that more on-scene staff saves individuals money by reducing the amount of time to contain the emergency — thus reducing the human or property damage. More staff also reduces the risk of death or injury to firefighters — thus reducing those associated costs to municipalities.