Town official says North Attleborough will apply for federal SAFER grant to bolster fire staffing

An agency official said North Attleborough is preparing an application for the federal SAFER grant to help expand fire department staffing while the town evaluates long-term costs. "We're putting our application together," the agency official said, adding the grant would offset part of salary, fringe and benefits for up to three years.

The plan matters because the town recently handled a seven-alarm fire and relied on mutual aid from neighboring communities, the official said, underscoring that multiple simultaneous incidents would still require outside help even with more local firefighters. A staff member explained that mutual aid operates under a standing agreement between towns and typically does not involve payment: "No, no money is owed and it's a by mutual agreement that they cover us, we cover them," the staff member said, though ambulance runs in another community can be billed to individuals who receive the service.

The SAFER grant, a federal program the town cited in its remarks, can provide a temporary staffing offset, funding a portion of firefighter pay and benefits for up to three years. The agency official said the grant would let the town "ease into" increased staffing but cautioned the town will not hire personnel solely because of temporary federal money and does not want to create roles it cannot sustain after the grant ends.

Officials said they are reviewing station placement, response times and manning levels with Chief Coleman to determine where adjustments would have the greatest effect. The official described recent operational pressure, noting two ambulances were tied up and patients were transported to Sturdy Hospital during overlapping calls, and praised mutual-aid partners for their response.

The town is preparing the SAFER application and will continue internal analysis of staffing and station placement before committing to permanent hires. No formal vote or binding decision on hiring was recorded in the transcript.