DEWITT FIRE DISTRICT AWARDED FEDERAL GRANT

The DeWitt Fire District has been awarded $3,534,625 through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program to support the addition of necessary Firefighter/EMT positions. With a $2,197,199. investment by the District, the three-year initiative represents a total commitment of $5,731,824 to enhance emergency response capacity in the fire district.

The award addresses a consequential change in the demands of the District after the district was expanded in 2025. The addition of responsibilities including commercial, industrial, logistics, biotechnology, and semiconductor-related development is increasing the scale and complexity of the properties it protects. A significant incident can require simultaneous fire suppression, search and rescue, emergency medical operations, and protection of adjacent properties. Those tasks depend on having a sufficient force available when the call is received.

“The growth of our protection district has changed the level of risk we are responsible for managing,” said Philip Vander Molen, Fire District Commissioner. “This award allows us to address that responsibility with a substantial investment in personnel. For taxpayers, it supports a more capable and dependable emergency response system. For our firefighters, it means building the staffing needed to carry out dangerous work with greater safety and effectiveness.”

The District’s request was supported by a staffing and community risk analysis conducted with district leadership, including IAFF Local 2733. The analysis considered response data, current staffing, overtime usage, critical infrastructure, and findings from the FEMA-approved Onondaga County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. It identified a need for 14 additional Firefighter/EMTs to strengthen response capacity, support advanced life support operations, reduce reliance on overtime, and advance the District’s goal of staffing a dedicated four-person truck company.

NFPA 1710 establishes a framework for the organization and deployment of career fire departments, including company staffing and the personnel required to carry out emergency operations. OSHA’s respiratory protection standard, 29 CFR 1910.134(g)(4), requires at least two firefighters inside and two outside during interior structural firefighting, subject to the rule’s provisions. Meeting that requirement is one part of an emergency response; crews must also have personnel available for command, water supply, ventilation, search, rescue, and other tasks dictated by the incident.

“Emergency response capability must be measured against the operational demands of the incidents we can reasonably expect to face,” said Fire Chief Jason Green. “As the District’s commercial footprint and critical infrastructure expand, the number of personnel required to perform essential tasks safely and concurrently also increases. These positions will improve our ability to assemble effective crews, manage complex incidents, and protect both responding firefighters and our residents, businesses, schools and visitors – that is what they all deserve. With support and commitment from Board of Fire Commissioners, the SAFER Grant will help us realize this initiative.”

President Andrew Philopena from DeWitt Professional Firefighters Local 2733 said the firefighter’s union is excited and grateful to receive the SAFER grant. “Our union, Fire Chief, and Board of Fire Commissioners share a commitment to providing the resources and support necessary to protect the people we serve. We sincerely thank the Chief’s office and the Board for their continued efforts to make our district and community safer. This grant is an important investment in the department’s ability to protect our community.”

The DeWitt Fire District thanks Senator Charles E. Schumer and his Syracuse office staff for their efforts to help bring this funding to the District. It also thanks FEMA’s SAFER program for recognizing the District’s staffing needs, and IAFF Local 2733 and the International Association of Fire Fighters for their cooperation and support.