By Elyssa Parnell

eparnell@civitasmedia.com

Minick
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_Keith-Minick.jpgMinick

NEWBERRY — The Newberry Fire Department is looking forward to the progress that can be made with the accomplishment of receiving the 2015 Safer Grant award.

Fire Chief Keith Minick announced to City Council and staff Tuesday that they had received the award on July 31.

The SAFER award, which stands for Staffing for Adequate Fire Emergency Response, was given to the department last year for a total of $247,484 to increase recruitment and retention within the department and also to hire a Recruitment and Retention Coordinator, which was tasked to Gene Shealy.

Minick said the establishment of last year’s recruitment and retention program has benefited fire departments throughout Newberry County.

This year’s award, for a total of $132,000, will enable the fire department to expand the recruitment and retention program and offer educational scholarships to recruits that meet certain qualifications. The total amount of the award will be divided up over the course of four years, Minick said.

Through the grant, Minick said they asked for some recruitment and retention funding to help them with marketing costs over the next four years.

Minick said $6,000 per year for the four years would be used for advertising on billboards, radio, television and other advertisements.

A one-time use of $20,000 during the first year of the grant will get the fire department a double-sided LED sign at the station to inform the community of things happening.

For the department’s Explorer program, $10,000 per year will be used for gear to train the up-and coming firefighters.

“So with that $10,000 a year we can buy gear to get them trained so that gear they use at 16-17 years old can be used at age 18 when they become volunteer firefighters,” Minick said.

With some of their new recruits attending Newberry College, Piedmont Technical College and other schools, Minick said they applied in the grant for tuition assistance for higher education.

For those that meet a certain criteria, Minick said they would now be able to assist them in paying for some of their education.

A criteria method for that would have to be created, Minick said.

Around $2,000 per year will be used for an awards program, Minick said for volunteers who have met certain criteria throughout the year.

In the example of football, while certain players show their accomplishments with a sticker on their helmet, Minick hopes to mimic the idea by getting axe stickers for helmets for the firefighters.

“Hopefully over a four year period, one-hundred percent federal money can be used to not only recruit good people, but to keep the ones we have and say thank you for the job you’re doing,” Minick said.

City Manager Al Harvey commended Minick for the many grants he has gotten for the Newberry Fire Department and for writing the grants himself.

“We’ve received $610,000 in grants through his efforts and others in the fire department and we’re very fortunate,” Harvey said.

While Harvey said they may not have spent all of that money on their own regard if the grants were not received, he commended the fire department for the job they had done in that regard.

Reach Elyssa Parnell at 803-276-0625, ext. 1868, or on Twitter @TheNBOnews.