The village of North Syracuse has been awarded a $146,000 federal grant toward the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters for the North Syracuse, Moyers Corners and Brewerton fire departments. North Syracuse will administer the four-year Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant.
“Because we’re the administrator, the bills come to us, we pay the bills and we get reimbursed,” Mayor Gary Butterfield explained at the village board meeting July 12.
Normally, the North Syracuse Fire Department must seek prior approval to make purchases greater than $1,000, but the board voted to waive the purchasing policy for SAFER purchases.
The SAFER grant, which is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, goes toward hiring firefighters in paid departments and recruitment and retention efforts for volunteer organizations.