Engine 21-X, a 1989 FMC pumper, sits in the driveway at Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company Haine Station in Cranberry. Butler Eagle file photo.

On Friday, we learned that the Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company has been awarded an $836,046 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, or SAFER, grant.

Scott Garing, the township’s chief of fire and emergency services, said the grant is awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency “to help firefighting organizations maintain an adequate number of trained individuals, front-line firefighters, for their communities.”

The fire company received funding for four categories. The first was for personal protective equipment, the second was for a tuition assistance program for applicants in post-secondary education, the third benefits the site and staffing, and the last is for an enhanced marketing program.

Firefighters always are the ones who are there when we need them the most, so any amount of money they receive is well-deserved.

Yet the road to getting the grant funding wasn’t an easy one.

Garing and Amy Behun, the fire company’s administrative assistant and recruiter, submitted the application for the grant on three separate occasions from 2020-22. They consulted with professionals on the third application, which was accepted earlier this month.

Township manager Dan Santoro said the effort was a testament to the fire company’s persistence, and we agree.

We’re lucky to have people such as Garing and Behun working in a place integral to the safety of so many residents. Their work in securing the grant assures everyone we’re in good hands.

We can’t wait to see all the good that comes from the SAFER grant, and commend Garing and Behun for their efforts.

— CM