U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland and interim Tacoma Fire Chief Jim Duggan announced Friday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded a $7.7 million Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant to the Tacoma Fire Department.

The grant will pay the 37 firefighters’ wages and benefits for two years. According to the Tacoma Fire Department, losing 37 firefighters would have caused the loss of three of the department’s 16 engine companies.

The city submitted its grant application on Feb. 24. On March 16, Cantwell wrote a letter to FEMA in support of the department’s request for this grant.

“This is great news for the men and women of the Tacoma Fire Department who work every day to help keep this community safe,” said Cantwell, who was in Tacoma to announce the news. “I’m proud to have worked with the city of Tacoma to help support its competitive bid for the grant.”

“We are very pleased to receive this much needed funding to preserve public safety in our community,” added Mayor Strickland.

Since SAFER grants were first awarded in 2005, more than 90 Washington state fire departments have earned more than $38 million in competitive grants. The grants require an extensive application process, including peer review by experts in the emergency response and firefighting fields. This panel evaluates the department’s need for the grant, impact of potential cuts on public safety, why the department can’t hire firefighters on its own, and how the department will use the grant.

Last year, the Tacoma Fire Department responded to about 39,000 incidents, including to more than 1,400 fires. Its service area covers 71 square miles and 220,730 residents.