Part of me says this is not the mission of FEMA to be handing out Fed money for this.
Why isn't the state stepping in and funding this essential service ?
This comes across as a stealth bailout but how long can it last ?
And what about the other essential services in the city ?
Will more "grant money" be found that ends up funding all the city services ?
What happens when more cities start looking for Federal "grant money" to fund their services ?
The Fire Dept now has 2 dedicated grant writers.
And these are grants, not loans so they will not be paid back.
$24.2M federal grant to hire 150 Detroit firefighters a 'godsend' | The Detroit News
Now, with a $24.2 million federal grant — the largest ever awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to a fire department — and two savvy grant writers, the city stands to hire 150 new firefighters.
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The Fire Department had never secured a grant from FEMA’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Program, or SAFER, until 2011, when the foundation stepped in. Since then, the Fire Department captured a $22.5 million award in 2012, the largest SAFER grant awarded up to that point, that kept 108 firefighters from layoffs. In October of that year, the city laid off 26 firefighters, but they returned a month later under another SAFER grant of $5.6 million.
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The SAFER grant comes amid an effort by the Obama administration to invest in Detroit's economic recovery and enhance quality of life for residents. In September, the administration announced in Detroit that it would unlock $300 million in new and repurposed grants.
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