Manalapan Fire Station Receives $48K Staffing Grant

MANALAPAN, NJ – Gordons Corner Fire Company in Manalapan is set to receive a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) federal grant to help recruit and retain volunteers, Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-4) announced Tuesday.

“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.”

The volunteers of Gordons Corner Fire Company Station have served the residents of Fire District No. 1 in Manalapan Township since the firehouse was established in 1962. In a statement, Fire Chief Rob DiTota said the $48,000 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.

“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 DiTota.

The Operations and Safety Grant comes from the Department of Homeland Security's FY 2019 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program’ SAFER program, which operates a Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters 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.

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