Sandoval County Fire Chief Eric Masterson

STATE News:

• • • • • DFA invites state and local fire departments to apply.

SANTA FE—The New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) has announced $25 million in available grants to local fire departments for firefighter and emergency medical technician (EMT) recruitment.

DFA invites state and local entities to apply for funding May 15 through June 15.

“We’re proud to announce these grants, which will help bolster the ranks of critically important firefighters and EMT professionals in New Mexico,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said. “I encourage communities across our state to take advantage of this opportunity to improve public safety and ensure that they have adequate staffing to respond to emergencies.”

Historically, rural and remote areas of our state struggle with fire and emergency medical responses due to extended response times, large response areas, a lack of firefighters and EMTs, and other challenges in these regions,” Sandoval County Fire Chief Eric Masterson said. “This initiative will dramatically help these communities by increasing the number of first responders available so we can ensure that every corner of our state, no matter how remote, has the support and resources needed when someone picks up the phone and calls for help.” 

The funding helps fire departments offset the cost of new firefighter and EMT salaries, helping to bolster the number of first responders across the state. Increasing the number of paid firefighters and EMTs will improve response times, department capacity, and Insurance Services Office (ISO) ratings.

Awarded entities can use the funding to create a pathway to transition volunteer firefighters to full-time paid firefighters for their communities.

DFA will host a webinar for those interested at 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 14 via MS Teams. Fire departments and local governments interested in attending the webinar should email Firefighter.fund@dfa.nm.gov.