WRENTHAM — Chief Antonio Marino and Town Administrator Kevin Sweet are pleased to announce that the Wrentham Fire Department was awarded an over $1 million grant to fund the hiring of six new firefighters for the department.

Distributed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response Grants (SAFER) provides funding for fire departments to help increase and maintain the number of firefighters able to respond to emergencies in the community.

“Having the ability to hire six new firefighters will help immensely in bringing our fire department up to the proper and adequate staffing levels that we need to best serve our community,” Chief Marino said. “We are extremely fortunate and thankful to have been selected for this grant.”

The grant covers a period of three years in which Wrentham Fire will use the funds to recruit and retain an additional six full-time career firefighters. The awarded $1,004,828 will cover approximately 75 percent of the salaries and benefits in the first two years and 35 percent of the same costs in year three. Any contractual increases in years two  and three are the responsibility of the town. At the closing of the grant the funding for the new positions will be the responsibility of the town.

“I would like to acknowledge Chief Marino and Captain Ken Jefferson who sought much needed funding for a staff shortage,” Town Administrator Sweet said. “Chief Marino has shown a continued dedication to address the increasing service demands of our community for the short-term and long-term. Chief Marino will be joining us on Oct. 1 for a fire department update and further discussion about this grant and funding needs.”

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