Johnson City is welcoming some new additions to their fire department. Four firefighters have been hired in Johnson City using money from a grant program designed to help emergency response crews, and a fifth firefighter was hired using the village’s own money. In October, the village received close to $1.3 million from the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, or SAFER, porgram. The four-grant funded firefighter’s salaries will combine to be about $137,000 annually. The grant program is run over the course of two years, and beyond that, Johnson City may not be able to afford their new hires. Mayor Greg Deemie remains confident that in two years at least a few positions will have opened up due to current firefighters retiring, as many on the force currently have over 20 years of service.
