DENTON, Texas — Fire departments in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas have been awarded more than $7.5 million in preparedness grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The Gravel Ridge, Arkansas Fire Department received $208,350; the Lafayette, Louisiana Consolidated Government Fire Department received more than $1.7 million; the Bloomfield, New Mexico Fire Department received more than $1 million; and the Fort Worth, Texas Fire Department received nearly $3.4 million. All of these fire departments will use the funding to boost hiring efforts for firefighters. The Vinita, Oklahoma Fire Department received $830,792, which it will use for recruitment and retention.

The federal grants are part of the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grants program. SAFER awards provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to help them increase the number of trained, front line firefighters available in their communities.

“These grants are crucial for communities, especially for the fire departments,” said FEMA Region 6 Administrator Tony Robinson. “The funding helps ensure that there are enough first responders to protect lives and property.”

For more information on the SAFER Grant program, visit http://www.fema.gov/staffing-adequate-fire-emergency-response-grants.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.  Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.