COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KRHD) — The College Station Fire Department has received a $3.87 million federal grant to hire 12 new firefighters for a new fire station, with additional hiring planned to meet growing city needs.
- The $3.87 million SAFER grant will fund the hiring of 12 new firefighters for Station 7, which was approved in a 2022 bond election and is currently being designed.
- The grant will cover these positions for three years, after which the city will take over funding; however, 24 firefighters are needed to fully staff the new station.
- The fire department, which currently employs about 50 firefighters, plans to hire in two phases, adding up to 20 new employees by 2025 to accommodate retirements and the new station.
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As College Station continues to grow, the need for more firefighters and a new fire station is becoming increasingly urgent. Station 7, which will be located on Greens Prairie Road, was approved by voters in a 2022 bond election.
The land has been purchased, and the station is currently in the design phase.
According to Stuart Marrs with the College Station Fire Department, a new $3.87 million grant from the federal government is a significant development.
"The grant will go towards hiring 12 new firefighters to staff our new station, Station 7," Marrs said.
The grant, called the SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant, is the largest federal grant ever received by the College Station Fire Department.
It will fund these 12 positions for three years, after which the city will be responsible for covering the costs.
However, the 12 firefighters funded by the grant are only half of the personnel needed to fully staff Station 7.
The department requires 24 firefighters to cover all shifts, with eight firefighters needed for each shift.
Currently, the department employs around 50 firefighters, and the addition of 24 new firefighters will mark a nearly 50% increase in staff.
"Hiring 12 at a time is a big group to bring on all at once, and we’ll also need to account for vacancies due to retirements and other departures," Marrs said.
He noted that the department could end up hiring as many as 20 new employees by 2025.
The plan is to hire 12 firefighters at the beginning of 2025 and another 12 by early 2026.