Spanish Fork hires 12 firefighters with $2M federal grant
by Cassidy Wixom ksl · KSL.comKEY TAKEAWAYS
- Spanish Fork will hire 12 firefighters after receiving a $2 million federal grant.
- The grant increases staff from 36 to 48, enhancing emergency response.
- Fire Chief Eddie Hales says it safeguards tax dollars while improving fire protection.
SPANISH FORK — Spanish Fork announced it will be hiring 12 new firefighters after receiving a $2 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The grant is part of the federal agency's Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program, also called the "SAFER" grant. The federal grant program aims to enhance local fire departments' ability to comply with national staffing, response and operational standards by providing funds to support additional staff.
The approximate $2 million will fund 12 new firefighter positions, increasing the Spanish Fork Fire Department's full-time 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 city said.
Spanish Fork city spokesman Jack Urquhart said the grant gives the department a certain amount of money over several years, but after that, the department is responsible for continuing to pay for the new staff members.
"Really, what this does is it kind of fast-forwards us into the future, you know, where we gradually would have worked up to that number over the next few years. We get to have that benefit now and come up with our own funding once the grant runs out," he said.
The grant will help support the fire department's "exceptional service" it already provides to the city, Spanish Fork said in a statement. The new positions are expected to be filled in the first quarter of 2027.
The Spanish Fork Fire Department said it conducts regular reviews of community risk and response coverage and determined that additional frontline firefighters at both fire stations were an important opportunity to strengthen the department's emergency response.
"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," Spanish Fork Fire Chief Eddie Hales said.
Urquhart said the SAFER grant is well known among public safety entities and is one the city has been trying to get for years. A city has to apply for the grant and demonstrate a significant need for it while also showing the city is a good steward of its resources and tax money, he said.
After applying for several years in a row, the city is "overjoyed" that it finally received the grant, Urquhart said. These additional positions will be a "big and important boost" for the staff and will allow the firefighters to be more versatile in their responses to emergencies.
"We just feel super fortunate as a community. We went from a part-time and volunteer staff to going full-time just about five years ago. And the way that we've been able to hire a bunch of full-time fire and EMS personnel, we've hired 38 of those in the last five years without raising our property tax," he said.
The grant is "a wonderful blessing" for the community by fully staffing the emergency department so they can respond as fast as possible to those in need, the spokesman said.
"I think this just sets us up to really be able to protect and preserve lives and property in a way that also, you know, is responsible with people's tax dollars," Urquhart said.
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