SWFL fire departments awarded federal grants

FORT MYERS, Fla.- Nearly two dozen laid-off firefighters could be back on the streets soon, protecting your family.

“It is a life or death situation,” said Cpt. Doug Underwood with the Bayshore Fire Department.

In 2014, staffing at the Bayshore Fire Department was cut in half after the department’s SAFER grant ran out.

“It could mean saving someone’s life or not,” said Cpt. Underwood.

Now, the department was just awarded a new grant allowing them to re-hire six first responders.

“Having four guys on a shift is all the difference in the world. I can keep my driver pumping water into the truck, and myself as the officer, and my fireman, can go inside and make an entry for a rescue situation,” said Underwood.

“It is a bad position to rely on a grant to maintain your staffing. It is something we don’t like to do, I refer to it like we are on welfare,” said Bayshore Chief Larry Nisbet.

The Fort Myers Fire Department also had to lay off 16 firefighters just a few months ago. FMFD was also awarded a nearly $4 million SAFER grant allowing the department to hire more men and women.

“If at the end of the grant period we can afford to keep them, and the need is there to keep them, then we are going to try and do that,” said Fort Myers Fire Chief Trent Bowen.

Within the coming weeks, Bayshore will hire new firefighters with the grant money.

The Fort Myers City Council will vote next week on whether or not to accept the SAFER grant money.