Grant to aid hiring of three firefighters in Mitchell

With the recent approval of a federal grant, Mitchell fire officials plan to hire three additional firefighters/EMTs within the next year — a move Assistant Fire Chief Steve Willis says is long overdue. The SAFER grant — which stands for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response — is approximately $310,000 and will help fund salaries for the additional firefighters for the next four years. In the fifth year and following years, the new positions will have to be appropriated into the fire department’s budget, Willis said.

By: Sarah Dittmer, The Daily Republic