Spanish Fork Fire & EMS Receives $2 Million FEMA SAFER Grant

Spanish Fork, Utah — Spanish Fork Fire & EMS (SFFE) has been awarded the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), totaling $2 million.

The grant will fund 12 new firefighter positions, increasing the department's full-time Fire & EMS personnel from 36 to 48. With these additions, both of the City's frontline fire engines will be staffed by four firefighters per shift, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The goal of SAFER is to enhance local fire departments’ abilities to comply with staffing, response and operational standards established by the National Fire Protection Agency.  

"By leveraging these federal resources, we can safeguard local tax dollars without compromising our commitment to exceptional fire protection for our residents, visitors, and first responders alike." said SFFE Chief Eddie Hales.

To uphold SFFE’s standard of service and drive continuous improvement, the department regularly evaluates community risk and response coverage through internal reviews and peer benchmarking. This data-driven approach highlights key opportunities from strategic staffing to modern apparatus to ensure resources are deployed where they matter most.  Those evaluations identified additional frontline firefighters at both fire stations as an important opportunity to strengthen emergency response.

This grant will support further enhancements of exceptional service already provided to the residents and visitors of our City.  Plans are underway to have the positions filled in the first quarter of 2027.