Omaha is growing its fire department with the help of a federal grant.
The Omaha City Council voted Tuesday to accept roughly $3.9 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to partially fund 18 new firefighting positions. The city will pay about $2.4 million into the program, for a total of $6.3 million.
“Public safety means having staffing to meet the needs,” Omaha Mayor John Ewing said. “I’m proud that the city can partner with the federal government to provide for these needed positions.”
The new firefighters will be deployed “where needed” and support the addition of Fire Station 70 in 2027, the city wrote in a press release Wednesday. Fire Station 70 is planned to be built on North 180th Street across from Elkhorn North High School.
The funding is part of the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant program, which is aimed at getting fire departments to be staffed around the clock. The city had already budgeted for nine additional firefighters next year amid strains on staffing
“The Omaha Fire Department is deeply grateful to FEMA for this SAFER grant, which allows us to responsibly expand our frontline staffing while maximizing taxpayer dollars as our community continues to grow,” said Kathy Bossman, chief of the Omaha Fire Department. “Securing these federal funds ensures we maintain adequate firefighter coverage to keep residents safe while upholding our commitment to fiscal discipline.”
OFD is no stranger to using SAFER funding; the department is currently using $6.8 million from a separate SAFER grant to support different cohort of 18 new firefighter positions until March 2028.
The new round of SAFER funding will run from March 2027 until March 2030, after which the city will pay the full salary and benefits for the firefighters.