The Gordons Corner Fire Company in Manalapan Township will receive a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) federal grant to help recruit and retain volunteers, said Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) today.

   “Gordons Corner Fire Company is an all-volunteer firehouse that very much depends on keeping its current firefighters to protect the community, as well as attracting a new generation of volunteers,” Smith said. “This $48,876 grant comes from the SAFER grant program, which Congress created to do just that: help communities to be safer by recruiting and retaining firefighters.”

   “Our all-volunteer fire companies have a challenge to find residents with the time and willingness to do the required training to serve their communities,” said Smith “This grant will help them tackle that challenge and foster a new generation of volunteers. Volunteer firefighters fill a critical need of public service. They are both heroes and dedicated members of the community who respond to the call to serve.”

PHOTO: Established in 1962, the volunteers of Gordons Corner Fire Company Station serve the residents of Fire District #1 in the township. Pictured is the station located on Tennent Road constructed in 1967, with a satellite firehouse constructed on Pease Road in 1976.

   The Operations and Safety Grant comes from the Department of Homeland Security's FY 2019 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program’ SAFER program. The grant is administered by the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration. The SAFER Program operates a Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters program.

   “We plan to use this grant to keep our retention growing and our roster of qualified firefighters to better serve the residents of Manalapan,” said Chief Rob DiTota.

   DiTota said the grant will fund efforts to reach out to the community via social media and other avenues to attract new members to the Gordons Corner Fire Company.

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