The Moses Lake Fire Department has received a grant to help fund three new firefighter positions.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, awarded the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant, providing about 75 percent of the total cost of wages and benefits for the first two years of the program, with a third year moving to 25 percent of wage and benefits.
In 2016, the city conducted a cost of service study for the fire department, in part to evaluate the department’s current and future personnel needs. The study recommended six new firefighter positions be created. The city was able to fund three of the six recommended positions in 2019 and the new grant will allow the city to hire three more.