Grant will help keep, recruit Smith Valley firefighters

Staff Reports

A $55,200 federal grant will allow the Smith Valley Fire Protection District recruit and retain volunteer firefighters.

Volunteer Chief Jim Hardison said the money will come in over four years under the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, administered by the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Fire Administration.

He credited Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., for the grant, which was announced by Gibbons a few weeks ago.

"The volunteer firefighters in Smith Valley are very grateful for the federal assistance in their quest to provide quality emergency services to our friends and neighbors," Hardison said

In fiscal year 2005, Congress allocated $65 million to support the hiring of full-time firefighters and to support the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters.

"Much of the land in Nevada is owned by the federal government, resulting in a smaller tax base for our rural communities," Gibbons said. "These grants provide much-needed funding that goes to helping our volunteer firefighters meet their day-to-day needs, which ultimately keep our communities safe."

Smith Valley has 16 volunteer firefighters and Hardison said he hoped to be able to recruit three to four more a year thanks to the grant.

"We will also be able to provide incentives and training for the volunteers we have," he said. "It costs money to be a volunteer."

Hardison, himself a volunteer, is a career firefighter for the Tahoe-Douglas Fire District.

"Nationwide, volunteer fire organizations are experiencing difficulty with recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters," he said.

"The money provided by this grant will be used for recruitment programs to attract new volunteers and retention programs to keep the experienced firefighters active in the organization."

and educational incentive money to support those in the organization who are interested in bettering themselves."