Nearly $5M federal grant will help Anne Arundel County address firefighter staffing needs

The Anne Arundel County Fire Department can hire more firefighters after it was awarded nearly $5 million in federal funding.

The $4.97 million Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, or SAFER, grant will support 26 additional EMT/firefighter positions over the next three years.

County officials say the additional positions will help strengthen fire and emergency medical response across Anne Arundel County and address recommendations identified in a recent assessment of the department's staffing needs.

The firefighters union says the grant reflects some of the needs identified in that assessment, but additional staffing is still needed.

The union also noted that the federal grant provides temporary funding and said the county will need to continue investing in staffing to keep the new firefighters on the job after that funding ends.

According to the union, the department also remains below nationally recognized staffing standards.

The federal funding comes as Anne Arundel County has already been working to increase staffing within its fire department.

Earlier this year, the county approved its fiscal 2027 budget with additional positions for the fire department. Those positions will help staff a new tanker in Jacobsville and a new fire truck serving the Annapolis Neck and South County area.

The union has said that even with those additions, more staffing is needed.

The SAFER program, administered by FEMA, provides federal funding to help fire departments increase or maintain the number of trained frontline firefighters available in their communities.

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