United States Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced on Monday that the Defiance Fire and Rescue Division has been awarded $915,306 from The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency. The money has been awarded to Defiance Fire and Rescue for hiring through the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Program, which is a branch of the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) Program. SAFER is a federal grant program designed to better prepare recipients by helping them attain and maintain 24-hour fire department staffing. Funding goes toward recruiting and hiring frontline firefighters and creating favorable working conditions for volunteer firefighters. The ultimate goal of SAFER is to increase the number of trained and prepared firefighters capable of safely responding to emergencies in the area.